Shattered souls
by gods-own
Summary: the tale by a man into his own dark past, were will the story end, read on to find out. uploading regularly, Kasumi Goto romance in second story arch; all material contained within is the property of Bioware and Square Enix: PLEASE READ: CHAPTER 22 IS UP!
1. Chapter 1: Shattered souls

**I am re-tweaking the first two chapters of my story, here is the first one. **

**Chapter 1: On Stormy Seas**

It's a weird feeling, dying that is, I never really thought much about it, but all in all I'd rather not go through with it if it were up to me, surprisingly it wasn't as the hastening darkness clearly indicated; but even as this was happening that tell-tale voice at the back of my mind came creeping out as it always did in times of stress.

_"Time to go to sleep Toddy."_ it softly whispered into his brain as the clinging claws of unconsciousness dug into the corners of the man's mind's eye.

_"Time to die." _and he let it as this unmistakable feeling slowly slid out from his core as decompression turned its final corner and headed towards its final destination.

* * *

><p>"Wake-up Commander Shepard!" suddenly shouted a voice that cut through the dusky dawn that surrounded the forlorn figure.<p>

"I said wake up!" roared the unseen speaker for a second time, the remark quickly accompanied by a savage slap to the face which dragged the man back into the waking world; banishing faded memories back into the oblivion from whence they came.

"I heard you the first time" muttered Toddy Shepherd as a coppery flavour permeated throughout his mouth as he flexed ever so slightly in the stainless steel dental chair, which along with himself was bolted firmly to the concrete floor.

"I know." retorted the shrouded figure as the sound of footsteps echoed off the surrounding walls. "I just wanted to continue our little chat without any interruptions." unsurprisingly this particular comment did not go down so well with the restrained man, who desperately attempted to turn his head in the speakers' general direction."I wouldn't do that if I were you." calmly stated the unseen voice as it walked in front of the prisoner, which didn't really improve the image in Shepard's mind as all he could see was a relatively tall man in an Armani suit, unfortunately the individuals face was hidden from view by the surrounding gloom.

"I would hate for you to hurt yourself." the sarcasm was unmistakable and was quickly responded to with a short, sharp insult which cut through the air."Really Commander, how unbecoming." calmly commented the interrogator as he planted a savage right hook into the unguarded face of the prisoner. "I was hoping to have more of a productive interview than the one we had yesterday." the sound of squeaking wheels quickly followed as the man pulled a desk chair directly in front of the captive "Why don't we start from the beginning?"

"Who are you again?" quietly demand the convict as he felt himself being moved into a more upright position.

"Smith, Mr Smith." replied the figure as he leaned forward to wipe the bright crimson from the commanders face.

"Well, that's original." Shepard muttered.

"And you would be Andrew Toddy Shepherd correct?" the pointed question generated a cold stare from the prisoner, who spat the foul contents of his mouth onto the man's immaculate shoes.

"My name is Toddy, Toddy Shepard, get it right." the man took silent note of this before continuing his questioning.

"Ok Commander, before we start I just want you to know that I've seen your personnel records, so lying will be not only a waste of your time but of mine, are we clear?" there was a steely undercurrent to the comment that didn't go unnoticed.

"As turian vodka." quietly growled the detainee as he dragged his tongue over blood stained teeth.

"Good, very good." calmly replied the interrogator as he let a cold smile spread across his face.

"I think we'll start from the beginning, I hope you don't mind." asked the man in professional tones.

"Like I have a choice." whispered the marine as he allowed his eyelids to fall shut as a heavily wall of memories came flooding back.

* * *

><p>"Ok let's start with some basic questions shall we, your age." it was more of a statement than a question.<p>

"I'm thirty one years old." replied the prisoner wearily, as if he'd said this a dozen times before.

"Which means that you were born in twenty one fifty four correct?" the interrogator watched as the restrained figure nodded his head in silent agreement."Good, moving on, the record states that you were delivered on the eleventh of August is that right?" moments later Mr Smith found himself being interrupted as his reluctant colleague erupted into a fit of sad laughter as the words drifted around the narrow space. "What's so funny Commander?" calmly enquired the man as he watched his charge's sudden with peaked interest

"I was found, found on the eleventh." the shadowy individual made a correction to his notes.

"My apologies please continue." the polite demand rang out in the Commander's mind as he started to explain his childhood to a waiting audience.

"I was found in a waste disposal unit, outside of London's international spaceport, the other kids at the orphanage always used to tease me by saying that my parents probably didn't want to pay the excess luggage fees; after being discovered I was taken to a local metropolitan police station and from there onto a state run orphanage, it was called "The Happy Home Orphanage" if I recall correctly." As the man said this a disgusted snort slowly slipped from his mouth. "It was a total pig sty and I was long gone by the time I turned ten " the listener decided to interrupt at that exact moment by raising his hand.

"Was it really that bad?" the interrogator quietly enquired, unsurprisingly the storyteller didn't take this too well as the burning gaze clearly indicated.

"Alright, alright I get it, it was a bad place can we please get back on track?" he waited patiently as the unwilling guest began his monologue once more.

"I ran around on my own for nearly a year before joining up with the Tenth Street Red's, got caught stealing from one of their hideouts' if my memory serves me right, fortunately for my young self, Sweeny Joe, who ran the gang at the time thought that I showed real promise and allowed me to escape with only a weak beating, weak from his point of view, it took me two weeks until I could walk again."

Mr Smith looked up from his smouldering cigarette to glance over at the restrained prisoner who was systematically becoming darker with every passing moment.

"And?" the man enquired as he watched an almost unreadable expression spread slowly across the restrained figures face.

"And I stayed with the Reds for the next five years, working my way up the mired ranks until I was one of the leaders most trusted lieutenants" but as the words left Shepard's mouth a hint of emotion seemed to creep into each syllable.

"I take it from the way your acting" said the interrogator evenly "That this is where the story really starts" the statement generated a withering glare from the detainee, who apparently didn't like his life narrative being told by someone else.

"You have no idea" angrily muttered the soldier as he allowed himself to drifted softly backwards into the swirling mass of memories; the man in black wisely waited as the silent minutes slowly ticked by, after an age there came the almost miscible exhaling of breath as the explanation got back on track.

"You have to understand something." softly stated the commander as he slowly flexed his neck in a vain attempt to drive out the painful stiffness that was becoming, with every passing moment more and more uncomfortable.

"By the time I was promoted there was already a new leader called Caesar running the show and that's where all the trouble started." the restrained individual looked down at the white object in Mr Smith's hand.

"Can I have one of those?" wearily asked the prisoner.

"Ah yes, sorry about that. I didn't think you smoked." politely replied the interrogator as he carefully slipped the cylinder into the man's mouth.

"I hope you don't mind, the salarians can't fight to save their lives but they sure do know how to make a packet of smokes" the individual added.

"Just light the damn thing." muttered Shepherd as desperately attempted to stop crushing the filter in between his teeth in frustration, which quickly evaporated as one end burst into life. "As I was saying." stated the prisoner as he inhaled the narcotic gladly. "Caesar was an expansionist, in every sense of the word, in the two years that she'd lead the Reds they had grown from a small street gang with links to the underworld to a budding criminal organisation, with its sights set squarely on the future; unfortunately Caesar was not the kind of person who like to take things slow, and she wasn't one for subtlety either." as he said this a almost misty look seemed to flow seamlessly across his vision. "I remember her coming back to the hideout one night, completely drunk off her ass, shouting how we'd hit the big time." a flash of anger seem to materialise from thin air as memories began creeping back. "Some big shot had paid a mountain of credits for us to raid a Synthetic's Insights warehouse on the city outskirts." this particular statement seemed to attract unwanted attention from his interrogator, who lent silently forward as he heard it.

"Any idea who hired you?" asked Mr Smith firmly, but the prisoner's silent response was all the answer he needed. "Go on."

"The job went perfectly, the target only had a half a dozen security personnel and even with weapons and kinetic barriers they weren't expecting thirty of us, poor sods, didn't know what hit them, metaphorically speaking anyway. Did you know that if you're within two feet of someone their shields can't come up fast enough to stop the bullet?" Shepherd chuckled quietly to himself as he said this. "We grabbed everything we could and hightailed it back into the docks where we had our main base at the time." but before the story could continue it was interrupted once more by his unwanted companion, who at that exact moment thought it would be a good idea to disrupt him for a third time.

"What was in the crates?" he calmly enquired as his hand made rapid movements onto the electronic notepad.

"High end tech mostly, some bleeding edge stuff, didn't know it at the time though and a boat load of augmentation units to; legs and arms mostly." this seemed to please his enraptured audience because moments later there came an all too familiar signal to continue. "As I was saying before being interrupted _again_." the commander inwardly smirked as he caught the slightest hint of frustration from his captor. "We made it back to the hideout with little difficulty and settled down to wait for the payoff." the story started to slow as the memories began flooding back ever quicker. "But it didn't go as planned" he quietly muttered.

* * *

><p><em>"Toddy!" screamed Caesar as a round ripped its way through her shoulder, I remember watching as the concussion grenade went off at the girl's feet, she flew a good eight feet backwards, unfortunately for me the fun had only just begun because moments later the front door caved in as the Synthetic Insights PSC's stormed the building, all I could hear was the sound of fighting and the screams of my fellow gang members being overwhelmed; the first goon that ran into me as I vaulted downstairs received a steel capped boot to the face that sent a fountain of blood splashing over my shirt, the second took a crowbar to the jaw resounding in a satisfying crack, the world began to slow at that point, the adrenaline was well and truly pumping through my veins and the battle rage had me in its grip. Only an act of God could bring me down.<em>

_"Take that little shit down!" bellowed someone as an angry knot of people came rushing towards me, shock batons at the ready._

_"Okay, time for round two." I remember whispering as the first of them impaled himself on the end of my combat knife, and old school KA-BAR. The next two were just as quickly dispatched when I managed to get the soft spots between their plates, unfortunately a few seconds later someone thought it would be a nice idea to smash an armoured fist into my face, sending blood coursing down my face; but even this didn't seem to slow me down as I lashed out left and right with a vengeance until the only one left standing was the slender boy with the wickedly sharp knives clasped tightly in each hand._

_"I will live forever." I heard myself shout in a pain fuelled rage, unluckily it was not meant to be, for as the words fell from my lips there came a short, sharp sensation that seemed to spread like morning frost throughout my body and even as the world began to fade from view, all that I could think about was the fact that I'd been shot; the world warped once more as time itself seemed to come to a grounding halt all around me and the only thing that moved was the shadowy figure that strode purposefully through the sprawling chaos around it._

"No one lives forever Todd." _said the voice that seemingly appeared from nowhere in the back of my mind._

"Especially someone like you!"_ it whispered as the revenant reached out a cold hand towards him and the world went black._

* * *

><p>"I found out later on that all the R&amp;D equipment that had been stolen by us was nano chipped and even before we left the warehouse a private rapid response unit was already en route." regretfully stated Shepard as he slow gazed up at the ceiling tiles above him<p>

"Standard practice for big companies, I was surprised that you didn't know about it at the time." calmly replied Mr Smith as he removed the smouldering cigarette end from his guest's mouth.

"Here, have a fresh one." the prisoner quietly nodded in silent thanks as he gently bit down on the other end.

"I was sixteen at the time, I was smart, but not that smart. Shit at that point I hadn't even gotten laid." retorted the marine as he gratefully puffed away.

"Fair enough, so what happened next." enquired the interrogator as he lowed himself back down into his chair.

"I woke up." came the reply.

* * *

><p>"It's time to wake up Toddy, wake up and smell the ashes."<em> coldly whispered the voice that leaked in through bruised eardrums; reality came rushing back with a vengeance, crimson memories flashed across my fumbling mind as I mentally dragged myself into a white world of bright lights and unwanted attention.<em>

_"Nice to see that you can follow orders at least." chuckled the blurry figure as my vision worked itself into some aspect of a feasible function, the room around me was pristinely clean, crisp and white; the only things that looked out of place amongst the pale surroundings was me in my underwear and the smartly dressed gentleman who was standing a few feet away._

_"I wouldn't move around too much if I were you, the sedatives tend to take longer to wear off on the muscles than is generally expected." but the man's warning came too late as he watched as I fall awkwardly off of the well-made bed and onto the cold floor below._

_"Told you so." sarcastically stated the figure as he adjusted the sleeve of his dark blue suit._

_"Where am I?" I remember shouting hoarsely, but the only answer that I received was a quiet laugh which sent shivers down my spine._

_"You're not really in a position to demand anything Mr Shepard." calmly stated the individual as he walked quietly crossed the room towards me. "But you're a smart man." he politely demanded._

_"Synthetic Insights" came the defeated tone, which unsurprisingly was the thing that the man had been waiting for._

_"I'm glad to see that the after action report about you was correct after all." as the businessman said this he allowed himself to kneel down in front of my broken and bandaged form. "You have caused the company a great deal of trouble young man and I have a habit of removing things that cause the company trouble" the individual slowly rose to his feet as he continued talking. "But on this particular occasion I'm willing to make an exception." as the words drifted through the air they seemed to linger all too heavily in my unwavering mind._

_"What is it that you want?" I forcefully demanded as the feeling quietly returned to my legs._

_"I don't want anything young man. I'm simply offering you an opportunity"_

_"What opportunity?" the question seemed to please the shadowy businessman, who walked back towards an unseen door that was set into the far wall._

_"Synthetic Insights runs a scholarship program for children that helps develop their natural talent's into something useful that can be used to benefit society." this particular statement didn't wash well with me as my disbelieving glare clearly indicated. "And by society I mean the company."_

_"I thought as much." I grudgingly muttered, but I'd already figured out that my current situation was unwinnable and if he wanted to there was nothing stopping the figure in front of me from simply snuffing out the light of my life; the minutes ticked by as I made up my mind, the individual didn't seem to take offence as he calmly took a swig from a hip flask to pass the time._

_"What do I have to do?" the question only seemed to bring a smile to the man's face as he vanished out the door, moments later a chuckling reply came echoing back down the room towards me._

_"Nothing, absolutely nothing"_

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><p><strong>I hope you liked this story, please leave a comment or review. <strong>

**thank you.**

**Gods-own.**


	2. Chapter 2: Through fire and flames

**(A big thank you to htewing for proof reading this for me, I am truly grateful)**

**(Please note, this work will stick to the layout of the game as much as possible, there will be some changes in the dialog, which is due to the fact that I can't find the right audio files, as well as some of the equipment used in-game; call it creative freedom if you will and before any one complains I have slightly fiddled with the timeline so that something's fit in better with the story)**

**(Thanks to all of those that have read the last chapter and enjoy this one)**

**(Sincerely Gods-own)**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 2: through fire and flames<strong>_

The prisoner paused in thought as if to say something else, but the moment passed and all that remained was silence.

"That's it?" Mr Smith enquired, as he raised an eyebrow in silent, unbelieving opinion."No beatings, no police report, just join the scholarship programme and forget all about it." The tone in the man's voice indicated what he thought of Shepherd's story, it didn't go unnoticed.

"They got me to sign a form the thickness of a brick and then I was led off to a private academy run by Synthetic Insights." The restrained figure glanced over at his interrogator as he continued talking. "They didn't need to beat me up or called the police, because as soon as I signed that legal document I became the property of the company in mind, body and soul" there was an unnerving silence as this statement was spoken aloud, even his shadowy jailer seemed to be momentarily taken aback by this unpleasant revelation, but as soon as the stillness had descended it vanished as the smartly dressed figure quickly waved a hand through the air, as if to brush away the unpleasantness of the previous comment.

"Not meaning to interrupt the flow of this particular interrogation but I have to wonder why a company like Synthetic Insights would go to all the trouble of recruiting a particular individual like you into their organisation, it's not like you're overly talented when it comes to I.T. or mechanics." The question brought an all onto unpleasant smile to the commander's face as he heard this.

"Synthetic Insights recruit a wide range of people, some of them fix computers, some of them mop floors and some of them…." He left the sentence hanging in the air as if to allow the unwanted associate to finish it, which he duly did.

"Kill people." calmly stated the professional, his prisoner nodding in silent agreement before continuing.

"Every corporation has its own private security contractors, tech experts, even hackers, but what marks the major contenders from the rest is their investment in company agents, individuals who work behind the scenes to make sure that everything runs smoothly as clockwork and that nothing will get in the way of business." Shepherd closed his eyes he said this, as if recalling far off memories.

"The individual who shot and subdued me was one such agent." He stared at the ceiling as he continued talking. "Though I didn't know it at the time." This seemed to please his keeper, who leaned backward into the chair as if he were listening to a bedtime story.

"For the next three years I worked myself to the bone in the scholarship programme, Synthetic's didn't seem to mind, in fact they actually encouraged my rapid development, no tutor was too expensive, no any fitness programme too easy; by the time I was nearing my twentieth birthday I had fully surpassed the original expectations of company observers to such an extent that they transferred me out of the scholarship programme and into an actual working environment in the main office on Earth." The faint recollection of this brought a smile to the storyteller's face.

"Impressive," replied Mr Smith, as he reached for another cigarette.

"I thought so at the time too," respond Shepherd as he began to mentally relive the memories.

"My future was laid out in front of me. I was going to become a "made man," to use a twentieth century film quote." The sad sigh which escaped from between his lips after saying this briefly hinted at what was yet to come.

"So what happened?" calmly enquired the smartly dressed figure, who had the feeling that the next few minutes would be not worth missing for anything.

"Akuze happened," came the reply.

* * *

><p>"Corporal Shepherd, Corporal Toombs, fall in at the double!" I heard Sergeant Fergus bellow over the roar of the dropship's engines.<p>

"Yes sir!" we shouted as both of us raced to undo our safety harnesses; moments later we found ourselves stumbling queasily down a cramped crew cabin towards our superior officer as the vehicle entered the planet's upper atmosphere.

"About time ladies," snapped the squad leader as he effortlessly rose to his feet in front of the faltering marines.

"I was about to do my nails and go to bed." As he said this, a withering grin spread across his scarred face; from the day I was forcefully signed up to the Alliance Navy by the company to the time I mustered out, I never once met someone quite like Sergeant Fergus of the Fifth Fleet marines. An old school soldier in every sense of the word, he had fought his way through nearly every major Alliance engagement in the last thirty years, including the First Contact War and now he was stuck with a pair of inexperienced NCOs who couldn't even seem to under their safety harnesses properly.

"But since you're here we better get down to business." Even as the words were leaving his mouth, the sergeant was silently tapping away at his omni-tool with an outstretched trigger finger. "As you pair greenhorns probably already don't know, we're in the middle of a rapid deployment to the planet Akuze to find out what the hell is going on down there. The bulk of our unit is being dropped into the main colony by navy air unit's." We both nodded in cold agreement, since we'd both been at the briefing only half an hour earlier.

"So were we, but shit changers." The hairs on the back of my neck stuck up at hearing this.

"Our ship in orbit has picked up a weak emergency signal coming from a small satellite settlement, about fifteen clicks south west of our original target. Captain Lee wants us to investigate and see what's going on."He suddenly glared in our general direction while saying this."And what the captain wants she gets. Do I make myself clear marines?" he roared.

"Sir yes sir!" raucously replied. This seemed to bring a slight smile to the old man's face, which quickly vanished as he got back to the task at hand.

"When the bird hits the ground I want the squad to split into two teams, Shepard, you take your half and search the settlement; there should be only about half a dozen houses at best from what our scans can pick up."The commanding officer glanced over at Toombs, who was standing beside me.

"Corporal, you and the rest are with me, I want an effective perimeter around the compound; do I make myself clear?" It wasn't really a question and we both knew it.

"Yes sir," my comrade eagerly replied, a split second later the co-pilot's voice smashed its way through the pleasant atmosphere which had developed in the cargo bay.

"ETA ten minutes and counting marines!"Sergeant Fergus spun around to face the entire squad as he heard this."You heard him marines, lock and load!" A nearly deafening response echoed back up the cabin towards him before the words had completely left his mouth."Damn straight." I heard him whisper as he pulled his helmet back down over his head.

The door dropped to reveal a landscape shrouded in think, orange dust as the engine kicked into reverse.

"Fire team two with me!" I bellowed mere moments after the vehicle came to a shuddering halt; the soldiers scrambled in behind me as our little group thundered towards the nearest objective.

"Everyone stay close." The order hung like cold morning porridge in my mouth as the door to the first building gave way under the weight of my boot."Search the dwelling!"They spread out to cover every inch of the structure, but even this didn't seem to be enough as all they found was dust and desolation.

"Next building move!" I barked, in a calculated attempt to distract my men from the unnerving atmosphere which seemed to be permeating in from every angle, but as time went on all we could find in the ghostly village was desolation and despair, as every subsequent installation turned up empty.

"Where did everyone go?" questioned a private standing a couple of metres behind me.

"I don't know but I'm going to find out." I retorted as the last target came into view, it appeared to be the main faculty building in the settlement and unsurprisingly had a second level due to its importance.

"Listen up marines; this is what we going to do, I want a total sweep of that installation, no cock ups, do I make myself clear!"A bellow of "yes sirs" echo down my earpiece as our little group stormed the final residence. After several minutes we eventually found something, and whatever it implied was extremely disconcerting.

"What do you make of it, sir?" enquires one of my subordinates as he gently poked the emergency beacon with the tip of his boot.

"Hell if I know," I replied."But the Sergeant needs to see this." Everyone nodded in silent agreement at this decision; after all, it seemed the most sensible thing to do."Sergeant Fergus, do you copy?" I politely demand into my mouthpiece. A split second later an all too familiar voice snapped back at me through the wireless feed.

"I copy greenhorn, no need to shout; what's the situation?" I paused briefly as I silently thought out the reply in my mind; unsurprisingly this didn't go down with my superior officer too well.

"Corporal, respond!" he bellowed over the head set, much to the cringing of my damaged eardrums.

"The entire settlements abandoned sir; no one's been here for several days judging by the amount of dust residue build u." I heard him curse on the line as I continued my field report."We did manage to discover the emergency beacon in one of the buildings, but something is really off sir." This statement seemed to cause the Sergeant to focus back into the topic at hand.

"Explain?" he enquired in flustered tones.

"It looks like the signal emitter has been tampered with to only release onto a low bandwidth setting." Unsurprisingly, this didn't improve my commanding officer's mood at all.

"Theories corporal!" he demanded, I desperately attempted to recall what I'd been taught about signal strengths at the Academy.

"If I had to guess sir, I would say that it was to make the emergency transmission look like it came from relatively old equipment, like the kinds of things that a start-up colony such as this would have."

"The transmitter isn't old?" my Sergeant enquired, only this time there was an uncertain note in his voice that I didn't recognize.

"No sir, this thing is brand new; it still has some of the warning label stuck on it." That was all Sergeant Fergus needed to hear for him to make up his mind.

"All marines fall back to the LZ, on the double!" he bellowed over the entire wireless network.

"You heard the man!" I roared as my squad frantically sprinted towards the edge of the settlement; we never reached it.

"What the hell is happening?" shouted a terrified trooper as the very ground beneath us began to tremble and shake.

"Shut up and run!" I yelled as we court sight of the other fire team coming out of cover towards us; then the world shaken to its core as a humungous tower of earth was rocketed into the sky.

"Incoming!" Cpl Toombs bellowed as something straight out of a horror film rose up in front of us.

"Open fire!" I can't seem to remember who gave that particular order, but all of the sudden the very air around us seemed to ignite as every conceivable firearm was unleashed upon the monstrosity that had materialised as if from nowhere.

"Pour it on marines" roared the Sergeant as he came thundering towards our position, but this only seemed to piss it off as it slashed a gigantic claw through the entirety of fire team one, bits of bodies, bright blood and broken equipment were sent somersaulting in all directions.

"Shit!" screamed a private as the monstrosity turned its unwavering attention onto us.

"Spread out!" I frantically ordered as the thing reared its head back as if it were going to be sick; in a way it was, as it unleashed a bubbling cauldron of bile towards what was left of the squad; the moment that it hit, I had a stomach churning feeling that it was bad news. Seconds later as the green ooze eat its way through a nearby rock my fears were wholly justified.

"It spites acid, don't let the stuff touch you!" I yelled as the monstrous opponent unleashed a second, long range attack, only this time it didn't miss. The fluid slammed home into a couple of my team who weren't fast enough on the uptake, and all I could do was watch as the concentrated liquid, seemingly with effortless ease, eat its way through their hard suits and into the soft tissue underneath. After a short moment I was forced to turn off my wireless receiver, which was becoming rapidly overwhelmed by the pair's unearthly shrieks as the venom dissolved them alive (or that's what I told myself, anyway).

"Stay focused marines!" angrily shouted Sergeant Fergus as he unloaded what seemed like an entire rack of missiles into the thing's neck, which definitely seemed to hurt the coleuses because moments later it suddenly hurtled back underground away from view.

"Toombs, are you still alive?" I shout as the surviving members of the squad nervously glanced around in dazed bewilderment.

"It's not over yet Greenhorn!" Yelled my commanding officer as he slammed a fresh salvo of rockets into his heavy weapon; unsurprisingly the Sergeant was right, for moments later the thing came roaring after us once more This time it seemed to have learned, for instead of erupting nearby and showering us with acid the monster dug its way directly beneath our feet.

"Move!" someone shouted, but by then it was already too late. It sent most of the survivors hurtling through the air at bone shattering speeds, myself included; the ground rose up to meet me like an old friend, but it hit like an ex-lover, the sudden shift in momentum sending my broken form somersaulting through the air until I slammed bodily down into the hard earth, the world went bright white as pain overwhelmed me, my body felt numb (not a good sign) and I couldn't move my right arm or leg.

"Medic!" I screamed, but I must have realised that no one was coming. Something else had know that too, because out of the corner of my vision I spied the monstrosity turning its bulbous head towards me, leaning back as it built up pressure to unleash a final corrosive crescendo in my stranded direction.

"Time to did, Toddy," coolly whispered the unwanted watcher in the back of my mind.

"Time to die!" roared the voice, which had suddenly dropped in tone and with good reason as out of the misty haze barrelled the Sergeant holding his ever trusty missile launcher. The first two rockets slammed into the thing's face like an angry housewife, sending the prepared putrefying projectile splattering off course.

"What's wrong, freak?" laughed Fergus as the towering abomination spun around to face him.

"Do you want to live forever?" This particular statement seemed to enrage the opponent even more, as it throw back its head and unleashed a bloodcurdling roar that seemed to shake the very fibres of my foundation.

"Thought so," chuckled the officer as he calmly reached for a pair of anti-tank grenades strapped to his chest.

"Well, are you going to eat me or not?" shouted the lone figure as he charges suicidally towards the mountainous outline; it eat him unsurprising, with an almost unmistakable air of gratification if I might add, which duly dissolved in a rainstorm of bleeding crimson and bodily bits that seemed to shroud the surrounding world form view as the heavy duty ordinance exploded in thing's mouth; but this was all rather second stage to me as my vision suddenly crashed as black shadows rushed up from all around.

"Time to sleep, Toddy, time to die" softly muttered the voice as an all-too-familiar coldness took hold.

* * *

><p>The interrogator glanced up from where he'd been silently listening to the unfolding descriptive show, an almost unreadable expression seemed to flash across his usually ice cold features.<p>

"Sounds like hell," he politely stated.

"You've got no idea," quietly replied the commander as he allowed himself to slip back into reality.

"No I don't, that why we're doing this," coldly snapped Mr Smith as he gestured to someone out of view.

"So what happened next?" the jailer politely demanded.

"I remember waking up," stated Shepherd as he continued to stare unwaveringly at the ceiling tiles.

"In an Alliance hospital?" came the enquiry, which generated a silent denial from the restraint detainee.

"Where then?" there was a long pause as if the storyteller was thinking over the details in his mind before continuing.

"I woke up initially in a faster than light spaceship which was hurtling towards Earth." The memory suddenly demanded an entrance as they forced their way to the front of his vision.

* * *

><p>Hazy images and shadowy forms; they were the only things that could be seen out of his ruined vision as he was dragged rudely backing into the waking world.<p>

"Were in heaven's name is that heavy strength medical-gel!" frustratingly shouted a voice seemingly hidden from view.

"We ran out ten minutes ago. We're down to using standard strength sachets and tourniquets to stop the bleeding." This particular remark didn't go down all too well with someone, as moments later there came a noticeable thud, that shook the entire compartment.

"Get it done!" growled a deep voice that was all-too-familiar, but at the same time alien, to the ruined man.

"But the ship is still three hours away from Earth and the medical bay is almost exhausted of artificial blood!" nervously explained the first voice as a hand suddenly came into blurry view.

"Then drop him into a drug induced coma and lower his heart rate to stop the bleeding!" ordered the invisible speaker as his tone took on a threatening tone.

"But the gel won't be as effective with reduced blood flow and the acid burns are extremely extensive to his right side!" There was an unnerving silence as the unseen observer absorbed this information.

"Don't make me repeat myself again doctor," the phantom quietly stated as it walked softly away, judging by the disappearing footsteps.

"Yes sir" whispered the presumed specialist as there came a sharp sensation from the base of his neck.

"Injecting the Propofol into the spinal cord now." The darkness closed in once more, and the only thing that could be heard was the thumb, thumb, thumb of a human heartbeat.

* * *

><p>"Not meaning to sound rude Commander Shepard, but you have the worst kind of luck." The comment was wearily meet with sad agreement from the prisoner, who turned his head to glance into to a shady corner.<p>

"Not going to argue with you there, Mr Smith," muttered the reluctant visitor as braced himself for the next chapter in his story.

"I was brought out of the coma in a Synthetic Insights recuperation ward." The man flexed his cold digits as he remembered this."The first thing I noticed was that everyone was attempting to avoid meeting my gaze and at the time I wondered why the staff where being so elusive," The marine chuckled sadly as he tapped a finger against the metalwork of the chair.

"It wasn't until I tried to shade my eyes from the glare of a medical lamp that I realised what they done to me" He glanced down at the gleaming, carbon fibre coated prosthetic that stretched all the way to his right collarbone.

"I remember screaming like some kind of wounded beast as I attempted to leave my sick bed."An unreadable expression seemed to slowly rise its way to the fore of the man's face as the memories brought up unwanted emotions.

"It was only when the bed covers were off that I saw the true scale of my "life-saving operation," for lack a better term." Shepard grudgingly allowed his gaze to drift ever downwards towards the myriad amounts of cold, hard prosthetics that had replaced both sets of arms and legs as he continued talking.

"They had to knock me out eventually, by all accounts." He turned to look at his jailer as he said this. "I was attempting to rip off my own arm the doctors' said; it's all a bit hazy to tell you the truth." Mr Smith silently nodded in acceptance as he furiously typed away on his notepad.

"How much of you did they augment, if you don't mind me asking?" Enquired the interrogator in gentle tones.

"Including my visible augmentations?" The man paused as if in deep thought before answering.

"I would say about two thirds. I'm not counting the cloned organs and the like that were added due to blunt force trauma received from the thresher maw attack, by the way." This remark brought his unwanted companion to a grounding halt, which was noticeable by the way that he abruptly removed the personal secretary from view.

"That breaks a number of galactic laws on both species enhancement technology as well as the legal restrictions of transhumansim, which were agreed by both the System Alliance and the Citadel Council." This didn't have the intended effect as the restrained individual gave his waiting warden an unbelievably sceptical look before interrupting.

"I read those particular laws that you mention, Mr Smith, they break down into three main points. The first, no individual can have more than one third of their body mass augmented either by genetics or robotics, unless it would lead to an improved quality of life due to a pre-existing medical condition; second point, no institution or employer can discriminate against those that aren't augmented; and finally point three, which states that any and all enhancements done to an individual must be carried out with that individuals conscious legal consent." The commander pause to catch his breath, which allowed his interrogator to get a word in edgeways.

"And Synthetic Insights broke rule number three when they robotically augmented you without your express permission." But even as the well suited man said this, he could tell that the answer would not be pleasant.

"Didn't I already tell you that I signed away my mind, body and soul to the company?" the prisoner muttered sadly as he locked eyes with the interrogator.

"The contract," breathed the jailer as reality struck home.

"Well done, Mr Smith," the forlorn figure whispered as he continued his tale.

"I read back through that document while I was in rehab. In the section under defaulting, it clearly states that in the event that the signature owner fails to meet the pre-stated standards required in the document at any time, then the corporation has every legal power to move to protect or recover its investment in the individual." Shepard finished this particular statement with an extremely pained expression on his face.

"I was later told by the company director that Synthetic Insights wasn't going to allow their financial investment in me to go down the drain due to the crippling nature of my injuries sustained on Akuze." He chuckled bitterly as he said this.

"He said that the doctor had already surgically removed my shattered right limbs by the time that the board was assembled to discuss the matter, and it was decided by them to complete the amputations so that I could have full functionality of my body with company prosthetics." he looked up at the shrouded figure, allowing the light to bounce off the optical implants that glinted like gold in his eyes.

"Most people seem to forget that Synthetic Insights made nearly all of their money before the development of V.I software in the field of mechanical augmentations. Even today, they're one of the largest manufacturers of artificial limbs in the galaxy, both for military and civilian sectors." He paused after saying this, as if chewing over an idea in some far corner of his mind.

"Do you really want me to continue explaining my past to you, Mr Smith?" the commander politely enquired, but all he got for his question was a vague wave of the man's hand to continue talking.

"Ok, but it only gets worse from here." The unnerving smile which followed the statement even brought a chill to the official looking figure's spine, and for good reason.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks you for reading this, please leave comments, no one has yet :( <strong>

**(Sincerely Gods-own) **


	3. Chapter 3: The forsaken road

**(Thank you for waiting so long, my proof reader has been under a lot of pressure due to grad school papers needing to be finished; a big thank you to htewing for finding the time to look through my nightmare of English grammar and punctuation by the way)**

**(I hope you enjoy reading this chapter, another should be on the way soon, all things willing (damn techno goblins keep stealing my stuff, need to buy a shotgun)**

**(Do review, it means so much to me to know what the community thinks of my work)**

**(Sincerely Gods-own) **

**Chapter 3: The forsaken road **

"After Akuze I was invalided out of the Armed Forces; due to lose of limbs they said, but I knew that the director had pulled strings behind the scenes so that no inappropriate questions would be asked about my sudden transformation." The prisoner's tone dropped noticeably as he continued talking."Four months after that I was allowed out of rehab by the doctors; I spent the next six years working as a company man."At that point the single audience, who had remained quiet for several minutes, decided to interrupt.

"Company man?" he politely enquired.

"An in-house term in my profession for those whose first loyalty is to the corporation; It's what people in the private sector normally call corporate agents politely when they have to talk to them." This explanation seemed to cause the interrogator a momentary lapse in concentration as he chuckled at hearing the comment.

"You really don't have any luck, do you, Shepard?" replied the figure.

"Going from one job where you're not particularly liked, to another where you're not particularly liked…" The statement hung in the air for a long moment as the restrained soul drunk deep in its meaning. "I have to agree with you, Mr Smith, my career choices could have be better." An almost unbearable silence followed as the pair slipped back into their fated roles.

"Let's change the topic, shall we?" coughed the warden as he glanced out of the corner of his eye at the metallic timepiece strapped around his wrist.

"Why, got better places to be?" sarcastically snapped the marine as he pulled his head back up so that he could glare angrily at his jailer.

"Unsurprisingly, I do," calmly retorted the figure as he began to smoke yet another cigarette.

"So how did you manage to join the Special Forces training programme if you'd been honourably discharged from the navy?" A soft pause followed as a small smile seemed to creep back into the man's face as the memories darted past.

"Two years ago I was acting as a bodyguard for the CEO of Synthetic Insights. The military had invited the heads of several large companies to attend an unofficial open day at N7 teaching grounds" As he said this, a bored note crept into his voice."You know that old line; show off your best merchandise and then try to persuade the corporations to invest in certain projects." He waved a hand in the air as if brushing the topic assigned."But that's not important; anyway, I was bored of just standing around in my corporate uniform -black trench coat and glasses, you know the look - when one of the higher ranking navy officers makes a comment to my boss about how flesh and blood will be always better then prosthetics." Shepard rolled his eyes as the words left his mouth."I mean, how stupid can you be to antagonise the head of a leading robotics company? Both Admiral Hackett and Captain Anderson - who were there at the time, if I remember - attempted to defuse the situation by apologising, but Mr Coyle, who still is the head the executive board by the way, wasn't going to let them off so easily"

* * *

><p>"You can't be serious, sir." I snapped as my boss calmly walked me over towards a quiet corner in the room mere moments after demanding a trial by skill to see who was right.<p>

"Don't worry about it, Andrew, you've got nothing to worry about from these boy scouts." He chuckled, but I was still not impressed with his decision.

"That's not my concern, boss. Is it really such a good idea to antagonise our largest customer?" The man only seemed to smile at the question as he pulled a Cuban cigar out of his breast pocket.

"I'll take care of the fallout lad, just do what you do best." And that was that: Mr Coyle was always like that, never fazed an inch by whatever obstacle was placed before him.

"We are about to start, gentleman, can everyone take their places please?" I turned to look over at Captain Anderson, who was seemingly the source of the statement. At the time, the only thing that lingered in my mind was the vague hint of a smile which seemed to play across the man's face.

"Show time," I whispered.

* * *

><p>The time apparently flew by - by all accounts, I don't really remember. There were seven of us: six N7 trainers, pitted against one lone augmented human - not a fair contest in retrospect, but I didn't care. The test consisted of a hundred metre sprint followed straightaway by an obstacle run, with a pause midway for target shooting with pistols, all of which came easy to me due to the experience that had been acquired during working the long years working for the company.<p>

"Nicely done, lad." muttered my boss as he tapped me lightly on the back in a quiet sign of congratulation as I bent over to catch my breath from the run. "Only one more round to go, give it all you got."

"Yes, sir," I replied as we were lead towards a sparring area.

"In this round, you'll be allowed to select the number of opponents you face," politely stated the captain as he indicated over towards the other participants.

"The fight will go on until one side admits defeat or is knocked unconscious. Do you understand?" I nodded.

"Who do you want to fight?" he asked.

"Everyone," I retorted. Unsurprisingly, this didn't go down so well as the enraged faces of the trainers clearly indicated.

"Are you sure, son?" softly enquired Anderson as he leant forward.

"Crystal clear, sir." The officer sadly shook his head as he slipped back into an official mindset.

"Your funeral," he whispered.

* * *

><p>It wasn't. As soon as everyone had entered the ring the fight began, the first two enemies hadn't even realised that I was moving before my right fist slammed into their skulls consecutively. As this happened, time seemed to slow as pure adrenaline began pumping through my veins. An almost still punch came rushing up from a bad angle, but a sideways kick to the face easily took care of it; moments later, someone grabbed me in a chokehold.<p>

Unfortunately for them I was well used to such tactics by now, and easily managed to extract myself by stabbing a finger into an exposed eye socket.

"You bastard!" roared someone as they let fly with an uppercut, but this was calmly sidestepped and countered with a bone shattering head butt to the nose, sending a churning column of bubbling blood spewing out all over the canvas.

"Who's next?" I remember muttering as the last two marines hurled themselves at me simultaneously. They were both caught in an arm lock which drove the pair to their knees. Moments later, it was over as an almost in-sync sound of breaking bones echoed throughout the surrounding space.

"That's enough!" snapped Admiral Hackett, who came storming over from the viewing gallery. "I want medics down here on the double." The order was carried out in a blaze of confused hysteria as Alliance personnel ran around tending to the wounded, but I don't really remember caring as I professionally strode back towards my employer, waiting by the exit.

"As always, I can see that my trust was well placed," stated my boss as he calmly tossed my coat towards me. "I couldn't have asked for more."

"And neither could I." replied a second voice that came from behind my shoulder. Turning, I caught sight of Admiral Hackett, an almost unreadable expression on his face.

"Mr Coyle, can I have a word in private?" He glanced over at me as the words left his mouth.

"It would be my pleasure, sir," replied my superior as the pair calmly walked out the backdoor, leaving me on my own in the chaos that I created.

* * *

><p>Shepard paused in his tale as if he were reliving a particularly unwanted element excluded for everyone besides him, but time was having none of it and made its decision now by allowing the interrogator's personal communicator to shudder into life.<p>

"What!" snapped the suited man as he stuck a finger in his ear."What do you mean the dates been changed?" A pause followed this as he listened silently to the unseen instructions being whispered."I'm coming up in ten minutes, and when I get there I expect answers, understood?" The line went dead as the well-suited man glanced back in his prisons general direction.

"Where where we?" enquired the jailer as he speed-read through the last three minutes of the recordings.

"Oh, yes, Admiral Hackett had just asked to speak to your employer. Is that correct?" The commander nodded silently in response.

"So what happened next?" Shepard began talking once more, as there came the all-too-familiar sound of a video clicking to record.

"I was subcontracted out to the Alliance on long-term lease. A week later, I was going through the N7 training programme that I'd just witnessed seven days before." The two men's eyes met as he continued talking."You can imagine how that went down." His interrogator chuckled to himself as he heard this.

"I can probably guess," he replied.

"Didn't really matter anyway. I blitzed the course in a little under six months, a record by all accounts – it helps when you know most of the things anyway. All I need to focus on was leadership skills, which aren't really a primary concern when you work as a lone agent for a massive, multinational corporation for most of your adult life."

"So I can see," stated Mr Smith as he slowly rose to his feet."Your psychological profile doesn't really paint you much of a people person, if you don't mind me saying." He watched as the restrained individual tried to shrug in response.

"I hold misanthropist views, I'll be the first to admit it. I like my own company, but in the military squad coordination is important so I learned the best I could." This statement seemed to please his frustrated jailer, who was already piecing up and down the darkened cell.

"And after you left the training facility?" the figure coolly demanded, glancing over at the door as he said this.

"I went on to lead a number of covert operations over the following year, all of which will be in your records, obviously."

"Obviously," retorted the figure.

"I was then given a week's leave to deal with any personal business before I was given my marching orders to join the SSV Normandy at Arcturus Station." He paused after saying this."And you know the rest," he added. Moments later, there came an all too familiar sound from his interrogator's omni-tool, which reverberated around the enclosed space.

"Unfortunately it seems that we've run out of time for today, Commander," Mr Smith stated as he began walking calmly across the room."I'll tell security to leave you in peace. We wouldn't want you to suffer from sleep deprivation, now, would we?" The sarcastic undercurrent in the comment wasn't missed by the prisoner, but simply ignored.

"Sweet dreams, Shepard," chuckled the jailer as the door snapped shut behind him; silence descended into to the quiet space once more, it seeped in through every nook, every cranny, rising like a winters tied, it was a noise that the lone figure knew only too well.  
>"I have slumbered long enough to last two lifetimes, and to wake only to find their pleasant dreams nothing but shadows and dust," the prisoner whispered as the waking world closed shut around him.<p>

"The present nor future hold any sway for me, I only wish for the past and the quiet reflection that it brings." As these word softly flowed from the man's weary lips, he allowed himself a soundless sigh as white light forced its way in behind his eyelids."Engage." Reality rewound, images blurred together in his mind's eye as if time itself was reviewing the commander's history for some kind of after-meal television special. The motions got faster and faster until the only thing that could be heard was the quiet thumping of his heart, the blood rushing through his veins and the silent ticking of life as it came hurtling back to where it all began so very long ago.

* * *

><p>Metal rang out on metal as I calmly marched down the gangplank towards my new appointment. At the time I'd been rather unhappy with being pulled off frontline duty to help overview a mere shake-down run, but as moments trundled ever onwards it started to feel that some silent force was playing with things behind the scenes. My selection for this mission was wrong; damn, the entire crew manifest was wrong, as nearly everyone on board was an experienced veteran with years of real experience, not the kind of crew used to field test a new spaceship, and if those red flags weren't enough then it was the person the Admiralty had chosen for captain that had sent the silent alarms in his mind ringing like it was the fourth of July.<p>

"Anderson." The name had hung in my mouth as I come to a sudden halt mere meters away from the Normandy's airlock. We hadn't met each other since that incident nearly two years before, and now I'd been being brought in to serve under him as the man's executive officer.

"Just my luck," I grumbled as a cold hand adjusted a strap on my breastplate. One of the techs at Synthetic Insights had joked that it looked like one of those twenty first century ballistic vests, and the man was closer to the truth than he could have ever imagined. Due to the robotic nature of prosthetics, only my torso needed protection, and as such the company had developed a special body armor that was custom-made for each agent. This particular model had a built in neck guard that allowed me to lower the lower proportion of my face so it was protected from incoming fire.

"At least they could have got the right color," I spat as my line of sight moved down to the fog gray finish which had been applied to every inch of the body armor."I distinctly remember asking for matte black so that it matched with my coat." I must have pissed someone off in HR, but the thought quickly vanished from mental view as I allowed myself a moment to bathe in the clean beauty of the space faring vessel in front of me.

"At least she's not ugly," I softly whistled as the airlock loomed up like an impenetrable portcullis.

"Show time." As the words left my mouth, my ever present sunglasses were neatly pushed into place.

"Don't want everyone on this thing to know that I'm augmented as soon as I come on board," I silently thought as metallic fingers hidden under leather gloves punched in the primary access codes. There was a sudden exhaling of atmosphere as the compartment depressurized itself to the outside world; moments later I found myself waiting patiently in the decontamination chamber as the ship's V.I. slowly jumped through the hoops."They should have forked out for the EX100 series." I remember crumbling as the minute's tediously ticked by. As time moved ever closer towards ten, there came the familiar sound of magnetic locks being deactivated."About time," I snapped to no one in particular as the interior of the vessel came into view.

"Executive officer on deck," barked a male voice to my left. Turning, I caught sight of a pair of neatly dressed individuals standing to attention by what appeared to be the cockpit.

"At ease," I ordered my mind slip back into a professional mindset."Your names?" The question seemed to take the pair aback a little, as if it wasn't something they were generally used to being asked.

"I'm Staff Lieutenant Alenko, Sir," stated the one on the left.

"And this individual here is Flight Lieutenant Moreau, Sir." The comment was supported by a thump being jabbed over his shoulder at the slightly scruffy looking man behind him.

"Good to know," I replied as my eyes took in the full extent of the CIC."I need to report in. Where's the captain?" The pair glanced at each other before one of them answered my polite question.

"He's down on deck two, Sir, but I think that it would be better if you stowed your gear before going to see him." Even as they said this, I could tell that their eyes were scrutinizing the two large duffel bags that had been brought on board mere moments before I arrived.

"Opinion noted, Lieutenant Alenko, but I have written orders to report in with the captain as soon as I come on board." The pair snapped off a hasty salute as I slowly picked up my personal belongings and set off towards a flight of stairs nestled in a far left-hand corner. Even before I'd reached the halfway mark, my audio implants clearly picked up the frustrated voice of whom I assumed was the pilot.

"Well that's just great. We get a hard ass as our XO." The comment didn't seem to rest well with his companion, who interrupted moments later.

"He's just following orders, Joker." But this didn't seem to placate the pilot, who continued grumbling as he returned to his seat.

"And what's up with those sunglasses? Does he think they make him look cool?" The sarcastic tone obviously annoyed Alenko, because his reply was noticeably louder by several decibels.

"Maybe he's light-sensitive, maybe he's just coming off leave. It's none of our business, understand?" The finite nature of the rebuke seemed to silence the pilot for now as their voices died away. I calmly walked down an arching staircase. It was one of the problems of having neural implants – my subconscious had almost total control over their basic functions to such an extent that I found myself listening in on conversations that I'd been silently thinking about on more than one occasion.

"Should have got that hardware patch installed," I recall muttering as the crew deck came into view below me. It wasn't the most spacious of places, but compared to some of the other living quarters I'd been it wasn't half bad. The captain's private quarters caught my attention and I decided to get it over and done with as soon as possible."Captain Anderson?" the professional question drifted through the surrounding air as I activated the audio interface next to the door.

"Yes, who is it?" replied an all too familiar voice.

"Commander Shepard, Sir, I have orders to report into you as soon as I come aboard." The statement seemed to generate a long silence as if the unseen individual was weighing over his options.

"I know, Commander, come in." The metal portal slipped back to reveal a middle-aged, dark skinned man standing in the middle of the space.

"Do you want a seat?" the he asked as he motioned in the general direction of a carbon fibber chair.

"No, Sir." The reply came out more coldly than I'd expected, which didn't go unnoticed by my commanding officer.

"You can speak freely, Shepard, go ahead." This particular remark caught me off guard, since I hadn't been expecting such a reaction from this well-regarded individual.

"Sir?" The captain waved a hand through the air as if to brush my confusion aside.

"Look, I know that the two of us didn't get off on the right foot two years ago, but I want to put that aside for the sake of the mission." Anderson glanced over at a picture of the Normandy that hung on a nearby bulkhead."This ship is a masterpiece of interspecies collaboration, and I want the best people in the fleet to be on board her." He turned to look squarely at my face as he continued speaking."I'm not going to lie and say that I don't have problems with your divided loyalties. Neither am I going to say that I support some of your more questionable decisions during your time serving the Alliance." The captain slowly walked across the room until he was mere feet away from me."But as a soldier I respect you. The skill you've shown in the last twelve months on active duty as well as your private history - the sections of which I had clearance to see - have only reinforced the high opinion which I hold you in." I didn't really know how to react to this particular compliment, after all I was wasn't really used to being praised for the work that I normally carried out.

"Thank you, Sir," I whispered as my body attempt to pull itself into a more professional stance if that was at all possible.

"Just giving credit where credit is due, Commander," replied Anderson as he turned back towards his desk."If I were you I would drop by the med bay to get yourself acquainted with our resident physician before hunting for your locker." The comment brought me back into reality with a crack. I didn't get along with doctors as rule.

"Has she been briefed, Sir?" He half-turned to glance over his shoulder at me as he snapped off a reply.

"She has, Commander. Not all the facts, of course, just the basics." The captain noticed my slight shift in balance as he continued talking."You don't have to worry about her spreading rumours; she is as professional as they come. Total patient confidentiality, especially in cases like yours." I remained silent as the statement left my commanding officer's mouth.

"Permission to be dismissed, Sir." The captain turned back to the previous task at hand.

"Permission granted, Commander." I snapped of a regulation salute before vanishing from view.

* * *

><p>I'll say one thing about Anderson: he's a good judge of people. Doctor Chakwas was as good a licensed practitioner as I've ever met. As soon as I walked through the doors of the med bay she had known exactly what needed to be looked at.<p>

"Are all your contact spots clean and un-inflamed?" I nodded my head in silent response.

"How about your visual optics: no rupturing in your blood vessels?" Once more, a quiet nod to get the point across.

"Do you suffer from headaches from your neural implants?"

"No, ma'am." The polite comment seemed to generate some kind of pleasing smile, which flashed across the doctor's face.

"Nice to see that you talk to people, Commander." She chuckled as the checklist was carefully placed to one side."I'm aware that the nature of your augmentation is not typical due to the restrictions placed upon your medical files by Alliance command." The woman sighed in frustration as she said this."As a result, I will have to perform a general assessment of your physical well-being for my records." Doctor Chakwas caught the slight look of resigned hesitance that flashed across my face."Obviously, everything will remain classified and confidential." She removed a pair of reading glass to look me square in the eyes.

"Especially in your case, since I know that augmented individuals such as yourself have problems with people finding out about their physical enhancements." As the woman said this she placed a soft hand on my shoulder.

"But this is a small ship and people will realize sooner or later. You have to come to terms with that." I once more nodded in silent agreement, which was partly due to the fact that I'd already come to such a conclusion some time ago.

"Will it be allowed for me to leave this particular bag in your care doctor?" I indicated towards one of the large duffel bags that lay at my feet.

"I don't see why not. As long as they don't contain contraband, I won't mind." She chuckled ever so slightly after saying that."And if it does, then I'll just have confiscated it then, won't I?" I remember breaking into uncharacteristic smile as I left.

"I'll have to keep that in mind, Doctor," I replied. Moments later, this slight feeling of humorous well-being disintegrated as the captain came marching out of his quarters towards me.

"Commander, with me," Anderson barked as he headed towards the top level of the ship.

"Yes, Sir!" I professionally replied as I fell in behind the thundering figure, who only seem to increase in speed when he heard this.

"I'll get one of the crew to take your belongings when we get to the CIC," the man coolly muttered as the both of us came hurtling through the last set of doors at the same time. "Alenko take the commander's luggage down to his locker. You know the code." the Lieutenant nodded as he jumped to his feet.

"Yes, Sir." The man hastily relieved me of my personal belongings before struggling off the way we came.

"Joker, how long before our guest clears the decontamination cycle?" The pilot glanced up from the holographic display with a particularly disapproving look upon his face.

"I'd say about thirty seconds, Captain." The silent look that the helmsman received for his obvious disapproval was enough to put the man back in his place.

"What's happening, Sir?" I enquired as the sounds of hissing valves heralded the arrival of this obviously unwanted visitor.

"The Council has sent someone to keep an eye on their investment," replied my superior as he drew himself up into a commanding stance. Seconds before the airlock slid open, he whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

"Spectre." I inwardly sighed as the single word seemed to bring an unnatural hint of cold to the surrounding atmosphere.

"This can't end well," I muttered as a shadowy form stepped out of the compartment.

…

**(Thank you for reading this, I hope you liked it, more on the way soon, I promise )**

**(Do comment if you like it so far)**

**(Sincerely Gods-own) **


	4. Chapter 4: Only the first step costs

**(Sorry for the delay, both myself and my proof reader have been unwell, also htewing has been under a lot of pressure due to papers that need to be finished on time)**

**(A big thank you to htewing for doing this)**

**(I hope you like this chapter)**

**(Sincerely Gods-own) **

**Chapter 4: Only the first step costs**

"Captain Anderson, Commander Shepard, my name is Nihlus Kryik. I'm the Council Spectre that has been assigned to you the duration of this field test." The statement that left the turian's mouth was calm, collected and professional, as if the figure in front of me was reading off a placard. "It's an honour to be aboard your vessel." The turian held out a gauntleted hand in the polite offering of a handshake.

"The honour is ours, Agent Nihlus," the captain replied as he firmly took hold of the offered appendage. Moments later, the pair separated as the alien turned to offer me the same courtesy.

"I look forward to the coming field trials of the Normandy's stealth systems." Once more, the same civil gesture was raised in my general direction. Unfortunately, the individual in front of me was going to be disappointed.

"So do I," I coldly retorted as my body seemed to take on a life of its own. An uncomfortable silence quickly followed as the Council's representative slowly retracted the offer.

"My apologies, Commander, I had forgotten that augmented individuals don't particularly like physical contact." The turian's comment sent alarm bells ringing through my mind as I heard it. He knew about my prosthetics, which silently implied that he'd read my personal file and, knowing the level of access that Spectres had to company records, it would mean that the individual in front of me was in a commanding position.

"Think nothing of it," I muttered as Anderson courteous escorted our unwanted guest down to the engineering room to show off the stated purpose for the man's visit. Unsurprisingly, as soon as the pair had vanished from view, the entire CIC was alive with uncontrollable chatter as suspicious Navy personnel began to unofficially debate the really reasons why a Council agent would be on board.

"It can't just be for field tests," I heard helmsman Moreau grumble as he glanced over towards his navigator. "I mean, Spectres are trouble. They don't tag along on shakedown runs to just oversee the operation." I heard Lieutenant Alenko start to reply but I cut him off at the pass.

"If you've got enough time to gossip, pilot, then it means that we're ready to go. Correct?" The forceful question seemed to catch the man off guard as he fumbled frantically at the holographic display in front of him.

"Just waiting for the order, Sir," came the flustered response.

"Good, I'll go inform the captain." Quietly turning on my heels, I proceeded to amble off down towards the galactic map in the centre of the work space. As I hit the halfway mark, I came to a shuddering halt before bellowing out an order to the surrounding crew. "And to the rest of you ladies who think that you're at Aunt Fanny's picnic, get back to work!" The last three words of the sentence reverberated around the ship's interior until it was the only thing that could be heard besides the sound of frantic efficiency.

"That's more like it," I muttered as the door to the lower levels opened up in front of me.

* * *

><p>Everything had gone to hell. One minute, I was verbally disciplining Flight Lieutenant Moreau for complaining about the ship's unwanted passenger for the fourth time since leaving dry dock, and the next instant I was being summoned into the conference room for a shadowy briefing on the nature of the operation near Eden Prime.<p>

The true purpose of the field test didn't come as much surprise to me, since nearly everyone else on the ship had been able to figure out that something else was going on. The captain's assertion that the Prothean beacon could be a weapons stash was unfounded to me: from my personal experience, both with the company and in the military, I had yet to come across a species which would store weapons-grade schematics in a communication system.

"Nihlus wants to see you in action, Commander. He's here to evaluate you." The statement snapped me beak into reality as I quickly glanced in Anderson's general direction.

"What's going on, Captain?" I calmly enquired in calm tones, as my mind started to nervously flick through possible scenarios. The man spouted off some Alliance propaganda response about wanting more say with the Council and shaping intergalactic policy, but I didn't truly buy it.

"That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres." The turian's verbal reassurance didn't really hold water with me. In all likelihood, it was probably due to Synthetic Insights that I'd been made the offer, one of only four private companies to have the legal authorization to conduct experiments with artificial intelligence, that didn't purely happen by chance; Mr Coyle was probably the best executive chairman the company had ever had. Not only did he have significant pull with both the asari and salarian governments, but several key members of the Alliance hierarchy owned stock in the Corporation, which meant that he'd practically had the ear of anyone that mattered in Citadel space. It would only take a short conversation, a suggestion that I might prove useful for their organisation to get me shortlisted into the Spectres. Nihlus had probably been ordered to recommend me to save face for both the Council and the Alliance, who didn't want to be associated to closely to the private sector. I didn't mind – it wasn't the first time that something like this had happened. I could still remember what the Chairman said to me when I was shipped out to Special Forces training.

"This will benefit the company in the long run, Andrew. Just wait and see." He'd cheerfully stated as I clambered into the private shuttle. The man had been right. After I'd graduated from the programme, the prosthetics department had been nearly overwhelmed by the amount of DoD requisition orders being placed. This time, the goal was even easier to see from my boss' perspective: a company agent, with Spectre status would easily give the Corporation a distinct advantage in a number of different areas of interest and, since my loyalty was guaranteed, he knew I would accept the position without asking questions.

"If it benefits the Alliance," I quietly replied, just as Flight Lieutenant Moreau decided to frantically interrupt over the intercom.

"Captain, we've got a problem." The tone in the man's voice sent everyone's eyebrows raising as they heard this

"What's wrong, Joker?" demanded Anderson as he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Transmission from Eden Prime, Sir, you better see this," came the pilot's nervous voice.

"Put it up on screen." Moments later, grainy images began flashing across the far wall in distorted silence as everyone's attention was riveted to the pixilated pictures of battle playing out in front of us.

"Nothing is ever simple," I grumbled as frantic figures sprinted to and fro throughout the footage. The garrison was under attack by a superior force, judging by the amount of firepower that was whistling around their heads. A marine kept shouting about taking casualties and needing evacuation before a rifle round sent the unfortunate soul sprawling backwards in a shower of dark crimson.

"Should have kept your eyes on the battle," I silently thought as the sounds of combat started to die away. An almost unearthly sound began echoing out of the loudspeakers, the tone sending the neural augmentation in my head into a frenzy as an unidentifiable data pattern attempted to infiltrate its way into the wireless network that I'd ordered installed at the beginning of my career. Before I could do anything, the footage spluttered out one last mystery as a gigantic squid-like form began to materialise out of the dense clouds surrounding the war zone; moments later, the feed went dead as the entire area was subjected to what looked like a heavy ordnance bombardment, sending clumps of earth and wreckage somersaulting in all directions.

"Everything cuts out after that. No comm traffic at all, it just goes dead." The Flight Lieutenant softly stated as deafening static streamed over all frequencies.

"Reverse to thirty eight point five," ordered Anderson as a steely expression spread across his face. The flickering video rewound until it came to a frozen halt at the image of the phantom vessel. The turian's mandibles notably twitched as he took in the intimidating outline in front of him.

"Status report!" barked the Captain in iron tones.

"Seventeen minutes out, Captain. No other Alliance ships in the area." This seemed to please my commanding officer, who continued to dish out orders one after the other.

"Take us in, Joker, fast and quiet. This mission just got a lot more complicated"

"A small strike team can move quickly without attracting attention. It's our best chance to secure the beacon," stated Nihlus as he took on a professional appearance; Anderson seemed to agree as he instructed the spectre to meet them in the ship's cargo hold, before glancing over his shoulder at me.

"Tell your team to suit up, Commander, you're going in." I barely acknowledged the order as my vision remained locked on the monstrous construct in front of me.

The ground trembled under foot as my three man squad disembarked from the Normandy, the captain's orders still ringing in our ears. Secure a beacon no matter the cost, civilian casualties were not a concern. This particular instruction hadn't gone down so well with either Alenko or Jenkins, who were whiter than white marines.

"Form up," I quietly stated as the familiar weight of the Avenger assault rifle in my robotic hands focused my attention better than any briefing ever could. A chorus of yeses quickly followed as our fire team began to advance steadily towards the objective.

"Oh god, what happened here?" I heard Jenkins whisper as we began passing ever increasing numbers of charred human remains.

"Stay focused," I growled as the ground team cautiously moved into an open area. I waved the corporal ahead to sweep the area as my visual optics began picking up increased electromagnetic signatures from further up the gully.

"Shit!" I muttered as combat drones of an unknown make came screaming out from behind cover. Mass effect rounds began hammering into the surrounding terrain as the rest of the squad threw themselves in the cover, Alenko did the same. Unfortunately Jenkins wasn't as quick on the uptake and got himself caught in a withering crossfire, blood and bone spilling out in all directions as the condemned man's shields gave out under the withering assault.

"Damn it Corporal!" I mentally swore as I watched the blood drenched figure slump lifelessly against a nearby rocky outcrop.

"Take them down, Lieutenant!" I roared as the firearm in my metallic grip screamed into life. Seconds later, Alenko added his own strength to the lethal deluge that ripped the artificial construct out of the air. As quickly as it had started it was over, with only the smouldering wreckage and gory remains to bear silent testament to the last few hectic moments.

"Check the corporal," I calmly stated as I began to pick up the ruined shards of the robotic assailants.

"Yes, sir," replied the Lieutenant as he moved over towards the forsaken soul, who lay motionless mere metres away. Minutes ticked by until there came the soft stomping of armoured boots on the grass behind him.

"He's dead, sir. The rounds ripped right through his suit's shields. Never stood a chance." The man's statement clearly indicated that he expected me to make some kind of emotional reply. Inwardly I couldn't care less – the idiot had broken basic combat doctrine and had paid the price for his amateurish mistake, and after all it wasn't the first time that I'd seen people die.

"Stay on target marine," I coldly answered as my visual optics failed to pick up any definable registration markings. "The mission takes precedent, remember that." The silence which followed was particularly pointed, but reality didn't have time for such irrelevant emotions and, as if to reinforce this theory, more fog-gray drones came drifting out of cover towards us.

"Move!" The order came rushing out of my mouth before the rest of me had quite caught on to the current situation. Blue, gleaming projectiles started screaming through the surrounding space as the two of us hurtled towards cover further up the gully. My internal heads up display began counting down towards my designated point as the vest's built-in shielding began to weaken.

"Jam their targeting software," I shouted as my omni-tool began broadcasting a pre-programmed virus into the surrounding wireless network as the neural implants responded to the mental order.

"Roger that, Commander," stated Alenko as he began furiously tapping away at his holographic interface. But even as this happened, the robotic assailants began to sway uncontrollably in midair as my mal-ware ate its way through their systems.

"Suppressing fire!" The command was obeyed instinctively as we rose from our hiding places. Rounds still ripped by, but even that failed to slow the inevitable result of confrontation as moments later we were the only things left standing.

"Hit?" The textbook question left my lips without my mind even fully comprehending what was going on.

"No sir, shields took all the damage." The reply refocused my attention as we started off towards the marked objective on the heads up display. Minutes ticked by with the same tedious regularity. The two of us would advance a dozen metres or so, be ambushed by more of those unknown drones, destroy them and then repeat the cycle all over again.

"I've got some burnt out buildings here, Shepard." The voice cut through the silence so quickly that it took my brain a good half a second to realise who it was: Nihlus. "A lot of bodies." This particular statement seemed to hit a note with my subordinate, who began turning white as the words echoed out over the communicators. Not really a surprise though, I thought. The aggressors, after all, probably didn't want every Tom, Dick and Harry to know what they looked like after the attack was over.

"I'm going to check it out. I'll try and meet up with you at the dig site." The turian's willingness to work alone was something that I was silently thankful for. In all honesty, I would have preferred to be dropped in as a lone asset and get the job done without all these fireworks, but it was not meant to be.

"Incoming!" suddenly yelled the Lieutenant as a blinding flash tore past our heads. My internal sensors picked up distinct energy signatures as two, crimson coloured UAV's came sliding out from behind one of the planet's alien looking trees.

"Stay down, they've got rockets," I bellowed as a sizeable chunk of my cover disintegrated under a second barrage. On instinct my hand went to my side as I calmly began removing grenades from various pockets on my equipment belt. "Aim for the gap in between salvoes." I began to think out a backup plan if this all went to the wall.

Fortunately, for a change, the original idea paid off. As the unblinking drones reloaded, both myself and Alenko hurled explosive cylinders towards the unmoving opponents. The resulting explosion cooked off the ammunition stored in the robotic assailants, sending burning chunks of shrapnel screeching in all directions as they detonated one after the other.

"Keep moving!" I swore as my internal display pinged into life. Its scanners picked up the unmistakable signature of organic life about one hundred metres ahead. "We've got life moving in our direction. Expect hostiles." As the words jumped across the live feed an unbelievable situation unfolded in front of us.

Because as we rounded the crest of the hill, a sprinting figure came into view, obviously female by the way it moved. The frantic individual hurled themselves behind a rocky outcrop as a pair of artificial humanoids began snapping off shots in her general location.

"Alenko, take the left one out!" I ordered as my prosthetic legs kicked into high gear, the ground hurtling by as I throw myself ever onwards into the fire storm that was being unleashed in my general direction as I thundered down the rise. All of a sudden, one of inhuman aggressors somersaulted backwards as its head was shattered by a biotic impact.

"Nice going, trooper," I thought as I flung myself towards the remaining target, who at that exact moment was desperately attempting to hold back an ever-increasing number of hostiles. It never completed the task, as my weighty shape pinned it to the ground. Even as it attempted to suffocate me, I could feel the reinforced carbon fibre plating on my forearm move upwards ever so slightly as the foot long titanium blade came sliding out with a sharp thud.

"Fucking die!" I roared as the razor-like point punctured its way straight through to where the thing's central processing unit should've been. Instead, to my regret, I discovered that the construct's internal power supply was located there instead. The subsequent discharge sent warning lights flashing across my visual display as the neural optics rebooted themselves to prevent unnecessary damage. The same couldn't be said for the artificial opponent, as litres of clear, white synthetic fluid began pouring out of every nock and cranny.

"Commander?" The recognizable voice interrupted me as I smashed my free hand into the robot's face until all the lights went out. "Are you hurt?" The questioning tone from Alenko brought me back into reality as I forcibly retracted my personal close combat weapon from the construct's ruined chest.

"Only superficial lacerations, Lieutenant." I quietly glanced over at the armed survivor, who was silently waiting on in the near distance. "What about the witness?" I calmly enquired as my prosthetic limbs pushed me upright.

"She took couple of mean hits to the upper back, but her shields seem to have held. Med-gel is seeing to the bruising as we speak." I silently decided to ignore that final comment as it was pretty irrelevant in the grand scale of things.

"She better have good intel." My voice must have come over particularly cold as the subordinate nervously stare at me out of the corner of his vision.

"Sir?" The man stammered uncomfortably as we walked back over towards the waiting figure. Unfortunately, Alenko was never going to get his answer, because at that time the female Marine decided that it would be a good idea to identify herself.

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the two twelve. Are you the one in charge here, sir?" The description and question caught my mind off balance for a moment as I hastily reshuffled the planned structure of the forthcoming interrogation.

"I need a status report, now!" The authoritative tone of the statement seemed to knock the trooper back into reality as she began explaining where and how the attack had started, as well as why we'd found her so far outside the settlement's defensive perimeter.

"Any idea what kind of enemy we're facing?" I enquired, but it didn't really take a genius to work out that no one race would be able to build such sophisticated constructs without Synthetic Insights catching wind of it, which only left one plausible alternative.

"I think they're geth." The Gunnery Chief's reply came almost simultaneously to my own mental calculations.

"The Geth haven't been seen outside of the Vale in nearly two hundred years. Why are they here now?" As short sighted as the Lieutenant's bewildered remark had been, it still produced a number of silent questions that began rattling around inside my head.

"They must have come for the beacon. The dig site is close, just over that rise – it might still be there." This particular sentence didn't fill me with enthusiasm, but I was taught to get the mission done no matter the difficulties.

"Good, let's move." I indicated over my shoulder for the woman to fall in behind use as we began to move out.

"Yes, Sir. It's time for pay back." The last half of the angry comment vanished as I spun around to face the startled NCO.

"This is not the time for revenge, Williams. The mission takes precedent over anything else. If you don't like that, then go off on your own and shoot Geth. Just stay the hell out of my way. Are we clear?" The thinly hidden threat jerked the marine back into a professional mindset as she nodded in a silent acceptance. "Good." As I said this, I tossed the cooling rifle in the female figure's general direction. "Take this, you're going to need it." Once more, a silent nod of acceptance was all I received.

"Let's move!" I calmly snapped as our little party set off towards the original set of coordinates.

* * *

><p>"This is the dig site. The beacon was right here. It must have been moved," stated Williams as she glanced around in slight confusion.<p>

"Who by, our side or the Geth?" enquired the Lieutenant as he returned from checking one of the fallen enemies.

"Hard to say. Maybe we'll know more when we check out the research camp," came the reply. This particular comment didn't sit so well with my subconscious, but at the present time there wasn't much else to go on.

"Doesn't change things, the objective is still the same. Williams take point and get use to the encampment, now!" The focused order seemed to be the trigger for the quiet silence that surrounded us to shatter as an all too familiar voice began to broadcast of my party's wireless communication network.

"Change of plan, Shepard, there's a small space port up ahead. I want to check it out. I'll wait for you there." The turian's voice vanished as quickly as it had come.

"Who was that?" asked the Gunnery Chief as our trio began thundering up the well-worn path towards the research station.

"No one who concerns you, marine," I coldly retorted as my hands began fiddling with the settings on the HMWP Master pistol that I used as my backup weapon since joining the company.

"Understood, Commander," replied the soldier as we began clearing the crest of the ridge. What awaited us was nothing less than what I had expected – well except for the bodies impaled on gigantic metal spikes I mean, that did take me by surprise, but the death and desolation was to be anticipated. After all this was a warzone, not a summer picnic.

"This is a good place for an ambush. Keep your guard up," stated Alenko as he began to slowly sweep the surrounding area with his sidearm.

In hindsight, I really should have listened, but at that exact time my entire focus was on the heavily augmented individuals that seemed to be bayoneted by the unknown mechanical artefacts. The level of alteration was on a scale that I'd never seen before, and even the victims' skin seemed to have undergone some kind of molecular change as the glinting nature of the surface implied. Unfortunately, the scientific analysis would have to wait as there came the unmistakable sound of grinding metal on metal and, one by one, the towers descended towards the ground.

"Oh god, they're still alive," whispered the Lieutenant as his eyes began to swell in horror.

"What did the geth do to them?" angrily demanded Williams as she brought her weapon up to track the new targets.

"Shut up and shoot," I snapped as I began to mark targets with the internal heads up display. Seconds later the instruction was duly followed as the withering hail of gunfire clearly indicated. Fortunately for us there only seemed to be three hostiles. Unfortunately, they seemingly only needed these three to be a threat, because no matter how much ammunition were sent down field towards the advancing augmented abominations they appeared unaffected by the damage. Even as an arm was shredded at the shoulder by an assault rifle round, the hulking figure continued on its unstoppable way.

"Fuck this," I muttered in frustration as the closest opponent drew near and switched my side arm to full automatic.

"Eat this, freak!" The subsequent torrent of mass effect projectiles completely disintegrated the enemy's head all the way down to the its shoulders in a shower of olive green blood. Moments later, a second assailant followed suit as my subordinates quickly grasped the nature of their enemy. This was of little comfort to me, for even as this was happening I was struggling with a problem of my own. The firearm was overheating at rapid rate, and that last opponent was almost on top of me.

"Damn it!" I roared as the thing began to power up some kind of EMP pulse, if the neural scanner were to be believed. Time seemed to slow as concentrated adrenaline flooded through my system. The thing lashed out with a poorly trained swing which was easily sidestepped as I countered with a bone shattering right hook to the temple that sent the foe somersaulting through the air. As I put every single drop of power left at my disposal into the attack, the world went blue as the abomination's magnetic attack detonated in a shockwave of glowing light moments later.

"Commander?" I remember hearing Gunnery Chief Williams' voice as I was sent tumbling backwards by the force of the impact. Error messages began flashing across my internal heads up display as various augments began to malfunction due to the sudden nature of the EMP surge. "Commander, can you hear me?"

The woman's voice seemed to be getting closer as my vision blurred noticeably out of focus. I desperately fiddled with a minuscule, manual reboot button that was located right behind my left ear. The world went black for a long moment as power was cut to all basic functions, including visual perception, then it came rushing back in an unavoidable surge as every single piece of tech within my being switched itself on at exactly the same time. The effect was rather overwhelming, to tell you the truth, and I regretted the action seconds later when I caught sight of the battery levels blinking away just out of the corner of my vision.

"Sir, are you hurt?" nervously enquired Alenko as he helped me to my feet.

"I'm fine. That thing's EMP ability just caught me by surprise, that's all." Even as I said this I heard an intake of breath from the female marine standing next to me. It wasn't particularly hard to find out why: the sudden impact had torn a large gash across the top of my right glove, easily revealing the matter black prosthetic underneath, and to say that the Gunnery Chief was surprised would have been an understatement of monumental proportions. She stood there in silence for several long moments before I had had enough and decided to intervene.

"What's wrong, marine, never seen an augmented human before?" I coldly snapped as my ruined gloves were quickly shoved into a trouser pocket. The uncomfortable nature of the question obviously seemed to catch the individual by surprise, for she started to splutter out an apology before the Lieutenant interrupted.

"It's ok, Williams, you don't need to apologise. The Commander understands." the confident tones of his voice easily indicated that the man wasn't stunned in the slightest by the uncomfortable revelation about my prosthetics. In a split second the polite soul had managed to calm down the flustered Gunnery Chief and sent her to investigate the solitary structure that wasn't damaged or on fire.

"How did you know?" I calmly enquired as we watched the lone figure vanish into the first half of the building.

"Sir?" softly replied the officer in steady tones.

"That I'm an augment." The question didn't seem to unduly worry my subordinate as he turned ever so slightly to look at me.

"You don't have to worry, Commander, I didn't look into your personal record or anything. I had a friend back at basic training that had a visual prosthetic due to a childhood accident that cost her an eye." The man indicated towards my sunglasses as he continued talking. "She didn't like people knowing about her augmentation, so she always wore tinted goggles to hide them. Said that they were prescription because of poor eyesight." Alenko sadly chuckled as he remembered the moment. "Never took them off, even when she slept." He turned back to scanning the landscape of half a second before returning to the conversation.

"I don't have a problem with your prosthetics, Commander, neither does Williams. She was just taken aback and with anything else that's happened to her today, I wouldn't take much stock in how she reacts until all of this is over." I quietly nodded in grudging acceptance. After all, the man's logic was pretty undeniable.

"Just keep her out of my way, Lieutenant, that's all I ask"

"Yes, Sir," snapped off the marine as I watched the Gunnery Chief come sprinting over towards us.

"What is it, marine?" I demanded as the woman came to a screeching halt a few feet away.

"I've got noises from the other half of the structure, Sir. I think they're human but they've hotwired the door shut, and my I.T. skills can't make the damn thing budge." I glanced over at Alenko.

"Lieutenant, go with Williams. I want that door open, do I make myself understood?" The pair snapped to attention as they heard the order.

"Crystal, Commander" replied the man as he began moving off.

"If they are survivors, Alenko, I want an eyewitness statement from them. Understood?" The statement brought the duo to a staggered halt as they turned to glance back in my general location.

"What are you going to be doing in the meantime, Commander?" the male figure enquired in a confused tone.

"Having a closer look at these things," I replied as a hand pulled a razor sharp knife out of its sheath. The looks that spread across the marines' faces were almost priceless in a away, if it wasn't for the grim nature of the situation.

"Understood, Sir," quietly replied the junior officer as the pair hastily returned to the task at hand.

"Idiots," I softly muttered as the weapon was calmly returned to its resting place. There were too many risks in examining the cybernetic assailants in such an unstable location. It didn't stop me though from collecting as much hard data as possible using my omni-tool and neural augments before storing it in my body's internal black drive.

The device in question was similar in construction to the outlawed graybox technology which allowed for the recording memories onto an internal hard drive in the individual's brain. The difference was that my particular hardware was only accessible while my physical being still existed in a living state, so in the case of my untimely death the only person who could access the data stored within was the executive chairman of Synthetic Insights who knew the original, unique genetic encoding that unlocked the device, which was taken and microscopically altered before being returned to each individual agent when he or she first joined the company.

"We found two survivors, Commander," suddenly announced the Lieutenant's voice of the ear piece. "They both seem pretty shaken up, but besides that they're unhurt." I allowed myself a moment to drift away from the task at hand as I heard? this.

"Do either of them have any useful information?" I asked? as I began turning one of the lifeless corpses over onto its front to get a better look at what remained of the thing's upper back.

"They seem to be from the excavation team, Sir. One of them said that the beacon was moved to the space port this morning, before the attack hit." My mind snapped back onto the primary objective as I heard this.

"I want you both back here on the double. We're pulling out!" The authorative nature of the statement left little to the imagination and moments later I caught sight the pair hammering it across a landscape towards me.

"Reporting in, Commander," stated Alenko as they fell in behind my ever quickening steps, which was fortunate for us we sprinted around the next corner the three of use came face to face with something that I'd never seen.

"What is that, off in the distance?" spluttered the stunned officer as he caught sight of the massive outline that, with unstoppable momentum, was rising ever upwards into the air.

"It's a ship. Look at the size of it!" replied Williams as her voice took on an almost unbelieving tone. Seconds later, my neural augments sprung into life as I attempted to get a visual vehicle recognition match using the company's private archives, but even as the ominous shape vanished into the surrounding cloud bank I silently knew that the search would come back negative. There was no way on earth that any one species would be able to manufacture something of that size without the executive chairman finding out about it, I was damn sure of that at least. Unfortunately, my mental calculation was shattered as a single gunshot echoed throughout the landscape. In the present environment such an event wouldn't usually draw attention, but for some unseen reason the hairs on the back of my neck began sticking up one after the other as the sound came washing over me like a lone wave on a calm day.

"That can't be good," I whispered as our team began advancing down the worn out track towards the nearest entrance to the industrial complex. Moments later, I caught sight of a small fire team of geth moving across a nearby caught yard towards us.

"Take them out," I ordered as I began snapping off shots with the pistol, but they needn't have tried as split seconds later the rounds found their mark. They penetrated a fuel tank nearby, the ensuring explosion scattered bits and pieces of the synthetic opposition spiralling throughout the nearby countryside.

"Nice shot, Commander," commented the Gunnery Chief as she came jogging over towards my position.

"It's not over yet, Williams" I muttered in cold, professional tones as my hearing picked up the characteristic sound of screeching metal on metal as more of those augmented abominations began lumbering up to rise towards us. "Stay calm." I snapped as I let off a withering shot that smashed straight through the leading figure's head.

"Aim for the head, single shots, make them count!" The instruction was duly followed by my subordinates as they fell into a well-worn routine and, after the chaos had cleared, we were the ones left standing.

"Keep moving!" The focused nature of my command drove the pair onwards as our infiltration team began advancing on the space port.

"I think I saw people back there, Commander," softly commented the Lieutenant as we began mounting the first set of stairs.

"Nothing gets in the way of the objective, am I clear, marine?" I questioned. The following silence was taken as an affirmative by me as we drew level with the raised platform in front of us.

"Commander, it's Nihlus," whispered Alenko as he caught sight of a blood drenched form sprawled out on the ground not too far away. I began to silently curse as we drew closer to the fallen figure. The instant I heard the gunshot I'd thought it sounded like an execution, and I should know – I've done enough of them in my career to know the difference.

"You know this turian, Sir?" enquired the Gunnery Chief as she glanced down at the ever increasing pool of dark blue blood that we found ourselves in.

"He's a Spectre. He was with us on the Normandy," replied the Lieutenant as he softly knelt down beside the broken soul.

"The Council's just going to love this," I muttered in frustration as something began moving on the corner of my vision. "Freeze!" The threatening instruction reverberated off the surrounding structures as a lone figure nervously dragged himself up in view.

"Don't shoot! I'm one of you, I'm human!" spluttered the terrified man as he came face to face with wide assortment of weapons.

"What are you doing, sneaking around back there?" I demanded as my optical heads up display ran face recognition software.

"Hiding from those creatures. Please, you've got to believe me. My name is Powell, I work here at the spaceport." There came a silent ping as the search engine brought back positive match to the man's facial features.

"Alright, I believe you," I stated as my firearm dropped from view. "But I want to know what happened here with the turian." The steely nature of the question did not go unnoticed by the civilian who began to sweat profusely as he threw his memory back to a few minutes ago.

"There was a second one, he must have been leading the attack because all those alien robots were taking orders from him." The man jerked a thumb in the general direction of the destroyed individual. "He was still here when your friend showed up. He called him Saren. They seemed to know each over, and then the guy just shot him in the head like he was out on an evening stroll"

"Saren?" As soon as I whispered the name, an alert message began flashing on my internal display. A secure company notice downloaded itself straight into my neural implant. I didn't even need to read the contents of the document to know that the news was bad – the three red letters that made up the title were all the information I needed.

"This day gets better and better," I muttered as I turned all my attention once more back towards the glowing characters in front of me.

"ALPHA PRIORITY TARGET," it read.

* * *

><p><strong>(It is unlikely that a new chapter will be up before the release of mass effect 3, or soon after; I will be taking a short brake due to poor health you see, under doctors orders)<strong>

**(I hope you like the new chapter, please leave comments, they mean a lot to me)**

**(Sincerely Gods-own)**


	5. Chapter 5: Hope is a waking dream

**(I have a lot of down time due to me being unwell, so I decided to write the next chapter, this is dedicated to all those in Europe who are waiting for Mass Effect 3)**

**(A big shout out to my proof reader for doing this while they could be playing mass effect)**

**(I hope you all like this, please review)**

**(sincerely Gods-own) **

**Chapter 5: Hope is a waking dream**

"What the hell is going on, Commander?" grumbled Williams as the skyrail hurtled through the speeding landscape.

"A turian-led Geth assault on a human colony, then shooting a Spectre he knows – it doesn't make any sense!" The woman's confused questioning was beginning to get on my nerves as the transport thankfully started to slow down.

"Warning. Atomic ordnance detected." The alarm flashed like lightening through my left ear as my inbuilt sensors picked up the unmistakable traces of radioactive decay coming from the rapidly approaching facility.

"They're setting demolition charges, be ready!" I ordered as the familiar weight of my sidearm was? felt in a robotic hand. The instruction was quickly followed by a chorus of yeses as the rest of the team braced themselves for the approaching firestorm that was unavoidably awaiting us. Moments later, the vehicle came to a shuddering halt at the opposition caught sight of our approach.

"Move!" I roared as the three of us threw ourselves bodily towards the nearest platform, and then it all went to the wall.

…...

"Thirty seconds, Commander!" shouted a frantic Alenko as I furiously worked away at the last of the placed demolitions. I hadn't expected there to be four of the dratted things, so after the Lieutenant had disarmed the first one we were all stunned to see the countdown timer still ticking away. Unsurprisingly, our little group sped up after this.

"Come on, skipper," whispered the Gunnery Chief over her shoulder as she nervously scanned the surrounding area for approaching hostiles.

"It would be easier if I had some quiet," I coldly retorted as my thumb and index finger finally found what they were looking for. A split-second later, the low rumble from the device ceased to be as the weapon's inbuilt failsafe kicked into overdrive.

"That was too close, Commander," said Williams as lone droplet of sweat ran gently down the side of her face.

"Noted, Gunnery Chief," I replied as the pair fell in behind me. We sprinted the last fifty metres towards the objective mark on our maps. In hindsight, that wasn't such a good idea as moments later the party found itself under attack by more of those cybernetic zombie things, obviously been left to guard the beacon.

"Get off!" I swore as one of the abominations grabbed hold of an exposed coat sleeve that lay over the gleaming prosthetic. My instincts didn't give it the time to chance to build up its energy as a mechanical hand crushed the upper front half of the monster's face in a plume of green gore.

"Fucking die!" came the shout as I emptied the pistol into the throat of a second one at point blank range, quickly leaving the unholy aggressor neatly decapitated. Its headless form quickly tumbled away from view.

"Squad report in," I snapped as the fighting started to noticeably die down.

"I'm fine, Sir" breathlessly spluttered Alenko as he jogged out from behind cover.

"Me too, skipper," replied Williams as she calmly empty a round into the downed figure of a Geth storm trooper.

"Just clearing up the leftovers." Out of the corner of my vision, I caught sight of the Lieutenant allow himself a brief moment of disapproval before his professional mindset slid back into place.

"Fall in on the double," I ordered as the Prothean beacon came into sight. The slender, column-like artefact was crackling with unknown emerald energy as the fire team edged ever so slowly towards it.

"Actual working Prothean technology. Unbelievable," whispered Alenko as he started to take readings from the metal structure.

"It wasn't doing anything like that when they dug it up," replied the female soldier softly as she moved ever closer towards the object.

"Normandy, the beacon is secure, I need immediately evacuation. The area is not –" But before I could finish the sentence, there came a scream from behind me as Williams found herself being dragged like a rag doll towards the glowing edge of the relic.

"Damn it all," I swore as my body moved on instinct. One second I was standing still, and the next my bulky form was tackling the woman out of harm's way. It wasn't my smartest decision, all things considered. The rippling wave of energy plucked me off the ground and left my form dangling in midair.

"WARNING ILLEGAL DATA TRANSFER IN PROCESS!" The warnings filled my entire heads up display as the information overwhelmed the neural augments. Bright flashes filled my world as vivid images burrowed their way into my mind, sending waves of seething electrical pain flooding throughout every corner of my system. The world went dark.

* * *

><p>"Wake up, Toddy," chuckled the darkly disturbing voice in the enveloping gloom.<p>

"Wake up and smell the ashes!"

* * *

><p>Reality rushed back with a vengeance as a white, bright light forced its way into my brain and slapped it round until it took notice.<p>

"Doctor, Doctor Chakwas? I think he's waking up." The female voice echoed round the inside of my head as I dragged myself upright to glance wearily round the painfully clean room.

"You had us worried, Shepard. How are you feeling?" The unmistakable silhouette of the ship's medical practitioner drifted into view as my visual augments refocused the picture in front of me.

"I've felt worse," I replied, as a throbbing pain began to circulate throughout my frontal lobe.

"How long was I out?" The question seemed to bring a worried expression to the physician's face as her voice travelled around the surrounding space.

"About fifteen hours. Something happened down there. With the beacon, I think." The woman was suddenly interrupted by Gunnery Chief Williams, who came sauntering over from out of nowhere.

"It's my fault. I must have triggered some kind of security field when I approached it. You had to push me out of the way." I wasn't too impressed when I heard that, but at that exact moment my brain was not up to the task to give the officer in front of me a licking down, so I fell back onto a default setting.

"I expect better from trained professionals, Williams. Don't let it happen again." The female marine seemed to noticeably stiffen as she heard this.

"Understood, Commander." Her personal apology was cut short by the good Doctor, who waded in on the other woman's behalf.

"Easy, Commander, we don't even know if that's what set it off. Unfortunately, we'll never get the chance to find out." I didn't like the direction that the conversation was heading in, and it was only reinforced by my subordinate who continued the explanation.

"The beacon exploded; system overload, maybe. The blast knocked you cold. The Lieutenant and I carried you back to the ship."

"Any serious damage?" I calmly asked as my internal hardware began to run a number of self diagnostic scans on all major artificial prosthetics.

"Physically, you'll fine," replied Chakwas as she continued her report.

"But I noticed some unusual brain activity. Abnormal beta waves." As the words left her mouth my mind went into overdrive and I diverted a large amount of my processing power into doing a deep core scan of my neural augments, in a desperate attempt to find out why.

"I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement. Signs typically associated with intense dreaming." At that exact moment, the hastily ordered sweep of my software came back with an all too unwanted result: the neural augment had detected a vast amount of hard data being directly downloaded into my brain, and in such a way that it bypassed the internal black drive.

"I saw; I'm not totally sure what I saw." The reply was more of a statement than anything else and, understandably, it didn't go down too well with the physician who seemed to shift her weight as she heard this.

"I better add this to the report," muttered the gray haired women, who turned around just in time to see Captain Anderson walk through the med-bay door.

"How is our executive officer holding up, Doctor?" the man enquired in forceful tones.

"All the readings look normal. I'd say the Commander is going to be fine." The statement seemed to be exactly what the captain was expecting as he turned to look straight in my direction.

"Glad to hear it. Shepard, I need to talk to you." The man paused as he coughed gently to attract everyone's attention. "In private."

I watched as the female occupants of the room quickly trundled out through the only exit. Moments later, an all too familiar sensation spread throughout the surrounding space as the general atmosphere slipped into a professional feel.

"Sounds like the beacon hit you pretty hard, Commander. You sure you're ok?" The question took me by surprise, as I wasn't expecting such a concerned tone to come from my superior officer.

"I'll live." Anderson slowly pulled himself up as the cold reply traveled through the air towards him.

"I won't lie to you, Shepard. Things look bad." I silently resigned myself for even more bad news as the authoritative figure in front of me began to explain what I already knew.

"Nihlus is dead, the beacon was destroyed and the Geth are invading. The council is going to want answers." The solid undercurrent of the statement made it painfully clear that I was being held responsible by a number of individuals in the higher echelons of power.

"All of which was beyond my control," I replied as I began to pull my body armour back on over my T-shirt.

"My team wasn't fitted out to fight their way through a strike force of nearly a hundred assailants and rescue a damn settlement to boot, but we did." My gaze drifted over towards the senior officer who had remained quiet during my cold retort.

"Besides, I did rescue the beacon. It was that idiot Williams that went ahead and activated the sodding thing." But the rant was brought to a halt by a silent wave of Andersen's hand as he turned the course of the conversation back on track. "I'll stand by you and your report, Shepard. What you did down there was nothing short of heroic in my books, but that's not why I'm here. It's Saren, that other turian." At that point, I decided that it would be prudent to interrupt so as to cut the explanation short.

"He's a Spectre. I know." The comment seemed to take the captain back a bit as he raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"You've met him before?" he quietly enquired. I shook my head

"Not personally. But Synthetic Insights has had dealings with him in the past, and not always pleasant ones at that." This seemed to placate the man as he turned around to look at a particularly boring piece of medical machinery.

"If he's working with the Geth, it means that he's gone rogue." This particular statement didn't go down so well inside my skull, as I allowed myself to silently absorb the idea.

"And I don't have to explain to you, Commander, the danger of a rogue agent, especially one that hates humans." I swore loudly as Anderson said this.

"He didn't come to Eden Prime because he hates humans, sir, he came for the beacon and whatever was stored within it." I paused to allow the reply to sink in.

"And he obviously got what he wanted, because his geth were about to purge the facility when I turned up." More silence followed this declaration.

"You're right," muttered the captain quietly as he fixed me with a steely gaze.

"You were there just before the artefact self-destructed. Did you see anything that, with your experience, could explain what Seren was after?" I thought for half a second about withholding the results from my internal scans, but the way that Anderson was placing his trust in me forced the idea from my mind.

"Before I lost consciousness, my neural augments detected a huge amount of date being downloaded into the recollection sections of my brain." This revelation understandably brought a worried expression to my commanding officer's face as he looked me up and down.

"What kind of data?" he delicately asked while walking across the room towards me.

"I don't know, my hardware can't translate it. All I keep seeing is flashes, like broken memories." This didn't seem to relieve the captain's fears, as the lines on his face only seemed to deepen.

"What kind of memories?" I paused before continuing, to allow myself the time to think through the reply without sounding like a gibbering maniac.

"I keep seeing figures, synthetics maybe, killing people. It's to broken too recall anything else." Anderson's brow knitted as he ran a hand down along the side of his face.

"We need to report this to the, Council, Shepard." I chuckled in frustration as I heard of this.

"And what are were going to tell them, that I had a bad dream? Come on, Anderson, we both know what they're going to say: that the explosion damaged my neural implants and that I hallucinating." But the man brushed my concerns side with a wave of his hand.

"We don't know what kind of information was stored within the beacon. It could be anything and Saren got his talons on it." The captain began pacing up and down as he continued talking.

"Fortunately, so did we, which was something he wasn't? expecting." The man came to a sudden halt as he jabbed a finger in my direction.

"But, you're right about the Council questioning the evidence due to your augmentation. Is there a way for you to take the doubt out of the equation?" I nodded slowly.

"Good. I won't ask how you'll go about it. The less I know, the better." He began to stride towards the exit with me in tow.

"If we can prove that Saren's gone rogue, then the Council will revoked his Spectre status," I interrupted him as my brain made the obviously jump towards the captain's vocal destination.

"Which will allow us to go after him without being interfered with." Anderson once more came to a shuddering halt as he spun to face me.

"Exactly, I'll contact the Ambassador and see if he can organise an emergency appointment with the Citadel Council." He glanced at me coldly for a moment before continuing.

"Is there anything that you can do to help the process along?" The question was obviously one which didn't appeal to the commanding officer's sense of loyalty.

"I'll see what I can do, Sir," I replied.

"Good. We should be getting close to the Citadel. Head up to the bridge and tell Joker to bring us in to dock." He vanished out of sight moments after saying this.

"Yes, Sir," I muttered as my metallic footfalls echoed up stairway after me.

* * *

><p>"This is an outrage!" bellowed Ambassador Udina as he paced up and down in front of the three flickering holograms.<p>

"The Council would step in if the geth attacked a turian colony!" But the alien officials effortlessly brushed the man's accusations away with a flick of political muscle. The figures bickered backwards and forwards for several minutes, until the Council members grew tired of the show of political negotiation.

"We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the hearing. Not before," calmly stated the Asari representative as they ended the conversation abruptly.

"Captain Anderson, I see you brought half your crew with you." It became particularly obvious that the ambassador wasn't at all happy with the recent developments on Eden Prime.

"Just the mission team, in case you had any more questions," replied the senior officer. Unfortunately, the government official didn't seem to particularly care about the man's opinion as he rudely interrupted.

"I have the action reports, I assume they're accurate?" arrogantly demanded the pompous individual as he turned his back on our little group.

"They are, ambassador. At the least you were able to convince the Council to give us an audience." The captain's tone was polite as possible, but there were noticeable hints of tension creeping into his vocal chords.

"They were not happy about it, and with good reason. Saren is one of their top agents. They don't like him being accused of treason." By that point, my patience had reached its limit and I took decisive step forward towards the snaky looking man.

"If you have a problem with my testimony, Ambassador, I suggest you take the matter up with me or with the chairman of Synthetic Insights." A sudden flash of nervous tension spread across the official's face as the threat hit home, but the shifty figure in front of me rallied surprisingly well and turned to look in my general direction.

"Settle down, Commander. The mission on Eden Prime was a golden opportunity to prove that you could get the job done. Instead Nihlus ended up dead, and the beacon was destroyed." As the verbal onslaught continued I had the experience to hold my tongue. The occasional executive board enquiry at the beginning of my career had taught me that nothing good can come of allowing your emotions to get ahead of you.

"That's Saren's fault, not his." The sudden support from Captain Anderson took me slightly by surprise, and I mentally decided to be a little bit more open with my dealings with him in the future.

"Then we better hope that the C-Sec investigation turns up evidence to support your accusation, otherwise there will be problems in the foreseeable future." The pompous oaf paused briefly as he glanced down at a touch pad that lay nearby.

"Come with me, Captain, I want to go over a few things before the trial." The unfriendly pair began moving off as the ambassador snapped off a cold statement that was obviously intended to me.

"Shepard, you and your team can meet us at the Citadel tower, top level. Don't be late." I watched in cold frustration as the unlikable soul vanished through the doorway.

"And that's why I hate politicians," heatedly muttered Williams as she walked away from the balcony were we'd been leaning on.

"Noted," I calmly retorted as the three of us moved off through the embassy complex. Minutes ticked by as the surrounding scenery changed and we found our way out into the main area of the Presidium. The individuals behind me came to a shuddering halt as the sheer breathtaking scale was unleashed upon them. Mentally, I silently shied at the obvious naiveté of those appointed as my subordinates.

"You can sightsee on your own time, marines," I snapped as an all too familiar hologram came into view.

"Good morning, Commander Shepard," politely greeted the blue illumination as I jerked a thumb over my shoulder at the two greenhorns behind me.

"Avina, can you give my colleagues here a guided tour of the Presidium, please?" As the words left my mouth, the Gunnery Chief began to vent her opposition to the idea, but I wasn't in the mood to negotiate with the female soldier in front of me.

"I want both of you to be able know your way around this section of the Citadel, so when you enter the Council chambers I don't have tell you to stop being surprised by the surrounding scenery." This particular statement seemed to hit a soft spot on the woman, who for the briefest of moments turned the lightest shade of crimson.

"Understood, Commander," spluttered the embarrassed marine as she almost sprinted of towards the first designated destination with the bewildered Lieutenant in tow.

"Bloody noobs," I grumbled in peeved frustration as I set off at a steady pace towards the lower Wards. It was advisable not to mention to the duo that, in actuality, I just wanted them out of the way so that I could go about my activities unsupervised and without the potential risk of a court-martial hanging over my head.

"Avina, where is the nearest elevator to my present location?" The question was automatically answered by the synthetic voice which echoed into my ear due to one of the neural implants.

"The nearest elevator is within the next two hundred meters on your right, Commander." I increased my speed so as to put some distance between me and the reluctant sightseers.

* * *

><p>The door slipped back to reveal the all too familiar logo of Synthetic Insights as I walked through the threshold and into the company's main branch on the space station. The receptionist glanced up with rehearsed politeness to deliver a greeting, but was cut short as she saw who it was who was striding across the floor towards her.<p>

"Agent Andrew, how can I be of assistance?" spluttered the nervous employee as she desperately alerted her superiors to the sudden arrival of the corporate representative.

"I need a secure hard line feed to central," I snapped, which seemed to send terrified shivers down the woman's spine.

"Right away, Sir. You can use the private terminal in the managing director's office on the tenth floor." She quickly looked down at the holographic screen to make sure that there would be no interruptions.

"Do you want me to tell Mr Aquila that you're on your way up?" the woman enquired as she reached over towards the intercom, which was nestled nearby.

"He'll know soon enough," I retorted as my mind slipped back effortlessly into the company mindset. I headed towards the private elevator that was set way back at the far end of the room. A feeling of almost déjà vu filled my body as the door slid effortlessly shut behind me: the amount of times that I'd surprised corrupt or incompetent employees by silently appearing into their offices was one of the few perks of the job that I noticeably enjoyed and, as such, my reputation within the company was particularly fearsome for those who had things to hide.

"Level ten," chimed the synthetic voice as I snapped myself back into reality with a crack as my metallic hands flexed themselves instinctively.

"Show time," I whispered as my footfalls echoed around the pristine space and I coolly strode down the corridor towards the managing director's office. To say that the turian was taken aback by the sudden materialisation of a high ranking company agent in his workplace would have been an understatement, but Mr Aquila was an extremely competent member of staff and rallied himself splendidly considering the normally unpleasant nature of such visits.

"Agent Andrew. This is an unexpected pleasure. How can I be of assistance?" he calmly asked as I walked across the room towards the widescreen communicator screwed into the far wall behind him.

"I need to talk to the chairman," I retorted with a noticeable forceful tone. The individual took the hint and silently exited from the private space, locking the door in such a way that only I could unlock it from the inside. The screen blazed into life as I entered my private security code, which allowed me direct access to the boss's private terminal in the company's primary headquarters on Earth.

"Call connected," once more stated the virtual intelligence. The wall-sized screen filled to the gills as the unmistakable outline of Mr Coyle standing in front of a gigantic window homed into view.

"Sir," I said as the gray haired gentlemen slowly turned around to give me a small smile that spread across his face as he took note of my ID code.

"Ah, Andrew my boy, I was wondering when I would be hearing from you." I remained absolutely motionless as I began talking.

"This was the soonest that I could get away from the Alliance overseers to deliver my report." A chuckle escaped from the man's mouth as he heard this.

"You're talking like the Alliance is a rival company, lad. Remember, this is a team effort." I nodded in silent acceptance.

"So what happened on Eden Prime?" The chairman's voice took on a serious tone as he spoke the question.

"The settlement was attacked by geth." This announcement even managed to ruffle the feathers of the usually calm company president.

"Geth. Really?" I once more nodded to get my point across. "What else?" he enquired.

"They were being led by a Council Spectre called Saren." This particular revelation generated an almost volcanic response from my boss, as a cold feeling began to emanate through the holographic screen in towards my general location.

"You're sure it was him?" he whispered.

"I have an eyewitness that put him at the death of a fellow Spectre." This statement seemed to cause a long pause, as my employer considered his next few actions extremely carefully.

"I doubt that the Council will take the evidence of a lone human seriously, unless it can be backed up by some other kind of hard proof." My mind had already come to the same conclusion some time ago.

"Can't you call in some favours, Mr Coyle? At least get the Asari councillor on our side?" I watched as the man shook his head sadly.

"I can't do much to help you without there being real, solid evidence, otherwise people will begin to suspect foul play." I grudgingly accepted this explanation before getting onto the second part of the account.

"I have something else to report, sir." One of the man's eyebrows raised as he heard this.

"I'm listening," he replied. As I heard this, I removed a USB cable from an inner-coat pocket and plugged it into a small hole at the base of my head.

"I'm uploading the last forty eight hours from my black drive to the main closed server here at the Citadel branch." As I said this, the other end of the cable found its way into the managing director's terminal, a flurry of information spread across my heads up display as I silently initiated the download.

"What am I looking for?" enquired my superior as bright lights flashed across my vision.

"On Eden Prime, I was assaulted by a number of heavily augmented individuals, which I assume were once human." This nugget of information clearly piqued the chairman's interest as he walked closer towards the communication screen.

"Just how heavily augmented are we talking?" he asked.

"Nearly total, even down to the blood in their veins," I added. This caused even more contemplation from the lone figure, who began to pace backwards and forwards in front of me.

"I take it that it's extremely advanced tech that we're talking about?" he stated. I nodded in silent agreement, another substantial pause followed this before the man decided to continue his verbal debate.

"I'll send Agent Alex to collect the information immediately," he responded as he pressed a small button on his desk.

"I will also send instructions to Mr Aquila to allow no one to his office until the agent get there." He allowed himself a small smile to once more to play across his features.

"Well done, my boy, well done indeed. The company will definitely put this data to good use." I nodded in agreement before continuing to speak.

"I also need you to request an immediate, total reassessment of my neural implants from the tech's here at the complex." It was the chairman's turn to nod in silent agreement as he heard the request.

"So as to prevent any accusations of faulty hardware from coming from the Council?" he quietly stated.

"Yes, Sir," I replied.

"I'll send the request as soon as you go off the line." The man chuckled as walked back towards his desk. "You better get a move on, lad. The gods on high hate to be kept waiting." The figure suddenly abrupt into chesty laughter as he terminated the line.

"And don't I know it," I whispered as I set off on the next phase of the plan.

* * *

><p><strong>(Thank you for reading this; I have updated my profile with some information about the story)<strong>

**(Please review)**

**(Sincerely gods-own) **


	6. Chapter 6: Blood and Taxes

**(Sorry about the length of time between the last post and this one, also sorry about the lack of action in this chapter there will be a lot more in the next post.)**

**( PLESE NOTE my proof read (htewing) has been extremely sick with the flu and as some how managed to do this top notch work for me; can any of you who read this chapter drop a review to say thank you to htewing for making this post possible) **

**(Also some guy thank you for your offer but I've got a really good proof read thank you)**

**(Sincerely gods-own) **

**Chapter: 6 Blood and Taxes**

"Commander." The voice echoed down towards me as I walked slowly up the first set of staircases directly in front of the main elevator. My vision drifted upwards until it came to a gentle halt on the unmistakable outline of the Lieutenant looming above me.

"You arrived just in time. The Captain was about to send us out to find you." I calmly brushed him aside as my feet moved ever onwards towards the final objective.

"Report," I ordered as our little group was joined by Williams', who came jogging over from a nearby terminal.

"We've been waiting for about ten minutes. The Council is starting to become frustrated. I wouldn't keep them waiting, Commander." But even before this advice could be heeded there came a second unwonted revelation.

"What about that C-Sec Officer?" stated the gunnery chief as she nervously adjusted an armour strap.

"What C-Sec Officer?" I coldly demanded as my gaze fell on Lieutenant Alenko, who noticeably stiffened under the probing look.

"Sorry, Sir, it slipped my mind," he muttered as his tapped frantically at the omni-tool.

"A turian officer called Garrus Vakarian, was leading the official investigation into Saren." I made a mental note to run a background check on this particular individual before the day was out.

"What was your first impression?" I enquired as time slowly ticked by, which was obviously playing havoc with the man's moral compass.

"He doesn't seem like the usual turian, Sir. When we arrived he was arguing quite vehemently with his superior officer." this particular revelation made one of my eyebrows rise as I let the statement sink in.

"Not the usual thing that you expect to see in public, especially not with turian society being as it is."

"I'll take your word for it, sir" politely replied William, who obviously wasn't enjoying the current topic of conversation. Fortunately for her, at that exact moment Captain Anderson caught sight of his erstwhile executive officer.

"There you are. The hearing has already started. Come on." I didn't even get a moment to slow down as my superior nearly dragged me into a political fire storm.

* * *

><p>"The Geth attack is a matter of some concern, but there is nothing to indicate that Saren was involved in any way." The asari councilor's voice echoed off the surrounding architecture as she began to openly criticise the accusation. Moments later, the turian representative chimed in with the usual technocratic BS, going on about no evidence being uncovered by C-Sec. Unsurprisingly, it didn't taken long for my already shortened temper to reach its limits.<p>

"But we have an eyewitness, who saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood!" retorted Ambassador Udina, who was beginning to lose patience with the sprawling bureaucracy.

"We've read the Eden Prime report, Ambassador," replied the Salarain coldly.

"One traumatised eyewitness does not in itself prove anything." But even as the sentence left the individual's mouth a hazy hologram flickered into life far above the official hearing.

"I resent these accusations." The statement resonated in a deep tone that had an all too familiar note to it.

"Nihlus was a fellow Spectre, and a friend," Captain Anderson suddenly interrupted by snapping off a withering retort as he recognized the voice. What followed was a scathing argument between the Alliance officer and the accused agent, which lasted right up until the point when I heard my name mentioned.

"You talk rather big for someone who doesn't even have the balls to turn up in person." An almost shocked silence followed my outburst as I casually adjusted my plain work coat.

"I don't have to justify myself to you, human," snapped Saren, as he noticeably shifted on his toes.

"I wasn't the one who destroyed the beacon. You were." I brushed his accusation aside with a wave of a robotic hand.

"For someone who claims to know nothing about the top-secret operation, you seem to be surprisingly well-informed." The turian laughed arrogantly as he heard my accusation.

"I gained access to Nihlus's files when he died. Of course I know about your poorly planned operation on Eden Prime." The smug retort felt like a slap to the face, but my professional demeanour won out as I coolly launched my counter-attack.

"Bollocks," I stated, an almost unbelieving chorus of whispers spread throughout the space as everyone began bathing in the nature of my reply. "If that was the case then the Council would also have been given access. Or are you somehow more important that the people that employ you?" The unflattering question hung in the air as the accused began to visibly lose his temper with how the conversation was beginning to turn against him.

"I don't have to stand here and listen to baseless accusations." The hologram turned as he glanced in the Citadel Council's general direction. "And since when has the galactic government taken the word of a corporate lapdog over that of a trained Spectre agent?" A second chorus of muttering reverberated, but this time it was noticeably louder as the flow of the debate swung back in Saren's favour.

"Can you even trust the digital recordings presented to this hearing?" The ghostly figure jabbed a talon in my general direction. "Can you even trust that this augments neural implants haven't malfunctioned and corrupted what was actually there?" I allowed myself a moment of silent gratification as I mentally sent a pre-programmed signal to my Omni-tool via my internal heads up display; moments later every single councillor received an automated bleep as their personal inboxes suddenly received a new arrival.

"What is the meaning of this, Commander?" politely demanded the asari Councillor as she opened the PDF file.

"If I may, I would like to draw your attention to the official Synthetic Insights certification, which clearly states that all my implants, including neural augments, have been professionally analysed by company technicians and found to be in full working order." I paused only briefly to rip off a deeply disturbing smile before unleashing my finishing move.

"If you have any problems with the legitimacy of the certification I suggest that you take it up with Mr Coyle, the current chairman of the executive board." The obvious threat seemed to hit home as at least the asari representative quickly backtracked in front of the threat and even the salarian councilor seemed to be sweating profusely in the seemingly cool room.

"That won't be necessary, Command Shepard," replied the male amphibian as he nervously glanced out of the corner of his eyes at his fellow members of the committee. "This certification is recognized by all Council species and as such will not be questioned by the members of this commission." Pleased with this positive outcome, I turned my attention to the glittering hologram that was lording it over me from far above.

"If I may, can I draw this committee's attention to what the accused said about me earlier – calling me a corporate lapdog and questioning my credibility because of that?" I pulled a personal PA out of a breast pocket before continuing. "But I would like to remind you that Saren Arterius is a key investor in the Binary Helix Corporation, who over the years have been given a number of lucrative deals which under closer examination have been quietly supported by the Council or, should I say, a Council agent." There was a uproar of angry shouts as various onlookers began hurling taunts and insults at the ghostly figure.

"We are not here to discuss the private holdings of individuals!" snapped the turian councilor as he desperately attempted to bring the heated debate back on track. "This committee has been called to evaluate the potential charges against agent Arterius." The illusionary individual once more interrupted.

"This committee has no purpose!" He jabbed a talon at Captain Anderson as he spoke. "This human has a history of false accusations against me, and yet I find myself under scrutiny once again!" The accused turned to look at the Council as he said this. "I have more important things to do than listen to artificially created charges, as you know all too well." Moments later, my superior officer frantically attempted to rally support from the Council, but the instant that he mentioned visions it was obvious that we'd lost the fight as the glazed stares clearly indicated.

"I'm sorry, Ambassador," calmly stated the asari Councillor. "The Council can find no evidence of links between Saren and the geth. As such, your petition to have him disbarred is refused." An unnerving silence filled the surrounding spaces as the verdict was read out. It was only shattered by the gloating turian letting off a snide remark about justice.

"Don't get too comfortable Mr Arterius," I quietly whispered as my rage began to build up on the inside. The ghostly recipient noticeably scowled at the lack of his respected title, but I was in no mood to pander to his bloated ego. "You and I are going to see each over really soon."

"This meeting is adjourned," hastily spluttered the female Councilor as she desperately attempted to avoid a political fire storm.

* * *

><p>"Well, that could have gone better," I muttered as our little party retreated back across the chamber floor towards the nearest elevator.<p>

"It was a mistake taking you into that hearing, Captain. Your past history with the accused made the Council members question our motives." My stare caught momentarily on the expression that flashed across the seasoned officer's face as he heard this.

"That isn't the problem now," snapped Anderson as he glanced in my general direction. "I know Saren. Every colony we have is at risk, every planet we control is in danger. Not even Earth is safe." The man's frustrated outburst did nothing to help settle the nerves of the other onlookers.

"I never realised you were such a dramatic, Anderson," I stated as my mind began to write out an e-mail to the chairman using my internal heads up display.

"This isn't a laughing matter, Shepard!" the man angrily retorted as he forcefully punched the elevator button.

"Who said that I was laughing?" I replied as the five of us stepped into the waiting glass coffin. "You didn't tell me that you had a past history with him," I calmly added as the door pulled shut with a silent thud.

"We were on a mission together once. It went bad, really bad, and my chances of joining the Spectres was destroyed as a result." This particular revelation was something that could have been useful to know before entering the court room, but I silently filed this information away for a later date.

"That doesn't help us now," I countered. "We need to find concrete evidence to support our claims. Otherwise we're going to be laughed right off the station and into deep space." At that moment, Chief Williams decided to add her voice to the debate, although with a notable lack of certainty.

"What about that Garrus guy? He was asking for more time to finish his report and, from what I saw, I doubt that he will simply stop searching because of an order." This particular idea caught a cord in my mind, not only because of its simple purity, but of the potential political coup of out-manoeuvring C-Sec and getting to the heart of the problem.

"But we just can't walk into C-Sec headquarters and start asking for an officer's whereabouts," nervously interrupted Alenko as he began to rub his forehead before continuing. "The Council would be tipped off for sure." The Lieutenant had a point: we needed to conduct our private investigation with the minimal amount of attention, otherwise Saren would obviously catch wind of it and throw all his resources at attempting to prevent it from reaching fruition.

"You should talk to Barla Von, in the financial district. Rumour has it that he's an agent for the Shadow Broker" I softly chuckled as the words left Captain Anderson's mouth.

"It's more than a rumour." I watched the man's expression as I continued my explanation. "I've had dealings with that particular volus in the past." My direct superior tactically decided to avoid asking any unwanted questions as the ambassador began to grumble to himself about political BS before curtly demanding that the captain accompanied him back to his office. The pair began to move off down a narrow corridor.

"At least that's over and done with," whispered Alenko as the two marines' fell in behind me as our little trio set off across the Presidium Commons towards the financial district.

"Something has been bothering me, Sir," stated the female soldier as she glanced over at an imposing mass relay monument.

"What's that Gunnery Chief?" I politely enquired as I felt numerous brain cells beginning to die due to the woman's radiating stupidity that seemed to seep out of every single pore.

"What or who is the Shadow Broker, Sir?" The question surprised me slightly as it had been quite some time since I had dealings with someone who didn't know about that particular individual.

"The Shadow Broker is a necessity of the galactic scene. He buys and sells information to the highest bidder while remaining completely impartial." I paused for half a second before continuing. "Every galactic government relies upon his network for crucial information, and that goes double for the Alliance." This seemed to generate even more questions but I shut her down before they could get any further.

"And before you ask, no one knows the Shadow Broker's identity and that includes me and I want to keep it that way, thank you there much" This particular announcement heralded the arrival of an unbearable amount of silence that lasted until the front door to the businessmen's office quietly split open on cue.

"Ah, Agent Andrew, this is an unexpected …pleasure," politely stated the stumpy alien as the three humans walked calmly into his workspace.

"Mr Von," I replied in a professional manner.

"Or should that be … Commander Shepard?" enquired the volus as he casually closed an open holo screen. "I had heard that you were … on loan to the Alliance." I pulled out a nearby chair and sat down before replying.

"Long-term lease from Synthetic Insights, yes." The suited alien nodded understandably.

"I do hope that the position isn't permanent … I did so much enjoy our … last joint-venture." My hand quickly brushed the comment away so as to not draw unwanted attention to the past events.

"I need some information, Mr Von," I quietly added as I mentally sent a wordless command to my neural implant to activate a wireless connection to my private bank account.

"Obviously." The dwarf sarcastically chuckled as he pulled a glass bottle out of desk drawer. "Drink?" he asked politely.

"Thanks." There was a short pause as the blue liquor found its way into a pair of crystal cut glasses.

"To your continued good health, Agent Andrew," stated the volus as he raised the drink into the air.

"Cheers." The liquid burnt the back of my throat as it found its way into my stomach. "Didn't realise that you liked human alcohol Mr Von?" I softly asked as he placed the now empty container back down onto the metal surface of the table.

"It's called Bombay Sapphire gin … I was given a bottle as a thank you from a grateful client, I must admit … I have developed rather a taste for it." I made a mental note of this for later when it would come in useful. "But you haven't come here … to talk drinks, Commander."

"I need information on Saren Arterius." The little man didn't seem phased in the slightest at the request.

"I know, your accusations against him … were rather well documented … if I may say so." I didn't rise to the bait, but continued on with the current flow of the conversation.

"Do you have any information, yes and no?" I asked.

"I do," replied the banker as he poured himself a second round.

"Do you want to be paid with cash or by electron transfer, before we get down to business?" I was expecting to be handed a sizeable bill for this information, but what came next completely threw me off track.

"I am giving you this for free, Commander," calmly replied the trader in a serious tone. "I've been given direct orders from the Shadow Broker to provide you with whatever information you need, free of charge." As I heard this one, my eyebrows began to rise in unbelieving scepticism.

"That must have smarted slightly, losing out on such a big payday for yourself." I quietly enquired as I accepted a second shot of the crisp, blue liquid.

"I would have given it … to you for free anyway… I still owe you for that time on Thessia." Once again the returning memory was pushed aside as, out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the questioning expressions that were spreading across my subordinates' faces.

"We can reminisce another time Mr Von. What is this information that you have for me?" I stated as the Volus shuffled a number of information tablets around the table before speaking.

"Saren has broken all ties with the Shadow Broker … and has turned on my employer." This uncomfortable revelation had almost instantaneous impact as my mind attempted to fully calculate the potential shockwaves that would be generated from something like this.

"As you can understand, Commander Shepard, this has major … implications." I nodded in silent agreement as the stubby alien continued talking. "And as a result my superior has sent a Krogan mercenary to take care of the problem." I locked eyes with my business associate as I calmly replied.

"Anyone you know?" There was a pause before the short individual continued his explanation.

"A mercenary called Urdnot Wrex. I've worked with him before."

"So have I." My interruption didn't seem to take the information dealer by surprise. "Anything else you can tell me, Mr Von, before I get going?" I enquired.

"The mercenary's target is some low life called Fist … used to work for the Shadow Broker as an enforcer here on the Citadel … before going over to Saren's camp" My mind flashed with an unpleasant memory as the outline of a previous operation for the company rose up from the darkness of the past.

"I've meet him myself. The guy couldn't find his way out of a wet paper bag, but even he wouldn't betray his employer unless there was something big going on." The volus nodded in knowing agreement as I started towards the front door, but moments before I reached it the original purpose for our little visit made itself known once more by poking at my waking mind.

"You wouldn't happen to know where a C-Sec Officer called Garrus Vakarian is, would you?" The quiet enquiry seemed to take the alien figure by surprise as he quickly typed away at a holo screen for half a second before replying.

"The turian in charge of the police investigation into Saren?" The short individual pressed some more glowing buttons before continuing. "He's down in the Wards investigating a free medical clinic. I'll upload the location to your nav map."

"Thanks," I stated as the doors closed shut behind me with a soft thud.

* * *

><p>"All right, listen up," I snapped as the three of us came thundering out of the information brokers office. "Lieutenant I want you to take Williams and go and find this turian detective down in the Wards. Find out what he knows and, if you can, look into this medical clinic that he's so interested in." The pair nodded in silent understanding as they jumped to follow my orders.<p>

"What are you going to be doing in the meantime, Sir," enquired Alenko as he glanced at his holographic map.

"I'm going to go and talk to this merc. I have a pretty good idea where he's going to be." As I said this, I noticed an almost unhappy look spreading across the Gunnery Chief's face.

"Is that wise, skipper?" asked the female marine as she adjusted a strap on her breastplate.

"I'm a professional, Williams, I know what I'm doing." The curtness of the reply seemed to take the woman by surprise because moments later she noticeably withdrew inside herself and remained quiet for the duration of the conversation.

"Do whatever it takes to get the job done, Lieutenant. We need whatever evidence that the C-Sec Officer has uncovered. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, Sir!" loudly replied the man as he almost snapped to attention in front of me.

"Good, get going." Almost straight away, the duo vanished off down a bustling boulevard in noticeable haste.

"Time to get down to business," I whispered as my feet lead me off towards the most likely location to find a krogan.

* * *

><p>The elevator came to a shuddering halt at its final destination with a silent thud. The see-through door slid back to reveal the all too familiar sight of the C-Sec Academy laid out in front of me. As always, there were large groups of people hastily bustling around desperately attempting to attract the various officers' attentions.<p>

"I spend too much time here for it to be healthy," I muttered as I began to descend down the nearest staircase towards the front desk. Fortunately for me, an all too familiar outline honed into view as I drew close.

"Witnesses saw you making threats in Fist's bar. Stay away from him." The authoritative nature of the voice easily indicated that the C-Sec Officer thought that he was in control of the situation history had taught me that the man was completely mistaken.

"I don't take orders from you," growled a guttural voice that echoed around the surrounding space.

"You don't take orders from anyone that I can see," I calmly retorted as the little group turned around to discover the source of the interruption.

"Agent Andrew," chuckled the mountainous alien as he came striding over towards me.

"Go on, get out of here!" snapped the security officer as the threatening figure passed by as if he didn't exist.

"Leave," I ordered coldly as the human officer turned to glare at me "Leave, now!" This time the force behind my words was unmistakably hostile, and the cowardly looking man quickly made himself scarce.

"Nice to see you haven't changed," laughed the mercenary as he watched the C-Sec officers beat a hasty retreat back up into their inner sanctum. "But I get the feeling that this isn't a social visit." A steely look creeps into his eyes as he turned back around to face me.

"The Shadow Broker hired you to take down Fist, correct?" The question was met with a stone wall for a reply. "I'll take that as a yes." More silence, with an ever increasing level of tension as the scarred veteran moved into a more threatening stance. "I'm going to get straight to the point. Both you and I are going after the same target. I'd rather have you working with me than against me." This time, the statement seemed to hit a chord with the towering monster because moments later a toothy grin materialised across the krogan's face.

"But then it wouldn't be any fun," he growled as one of his hands traced the path of one of the large scars that ran down the side of the alien face. "Although the last time you and I tangled we ended up setting a good percentage of an Omega slum on fire – that was a good weekend." The mountain like individual erupted into gut shaking laughter as he remembered a particularly pleasant memory.

"Next time, don't shoot at an ammunition dump to cause a distraction. That asari gangster almost welded me to a bulkhead when she found out." As I said this an evil grin spread across the mercenary's countenance as he lent against a nearby wall. "I thought that might happen," he replied. "That's why I did it"

"I'll remember that next time we're shooting at each other," I retorted as I pulled a hip flask out of a coat pocket. "So do with have a deal, Wrex?" I offered the metal container in the man's direction, there was a noticeable pause as the figure downed the entire contents of the vessel before replying.

"Why not? It'll be nice to work with someone professional for a change."

* * *

><p>"Commander Shepard, Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren." I glanced over at the newest member of our little troop as he politely held out a gauntleted hand towards me in a cordial motion.<p>

"I'm well aware of who you are, Mr Vakarian," I stated as I ignored the gesture and turned my attention back towards the two subordinates who were almost attempting not to be noticed. "Any trouble retrieving him, Lieutenant?" I asked as my vision was drawn towards the battle damage that covered the man's left shoulder.

"Nothing serious Sir, just some street thugs attempting to threaten the doctor at the free clinic." My mind raced as I heard this, without even checking in with Williams I snapped my attention back towards the young turian who was hanging around stiffly, not sure of what he was supposed to do.

"Street thugs don't shake down a free clinic without orders from someone. What's going on Vakarian?" I forcefully demanded as my neural implants silently began performing a general background check on the man in front of me.

"I couldn't find anything solid in my original investigation, but I know that Saren is up to something. As you humans say I can feel it in my gut" I remained silent as the alien continued his explanation. "The one thing that I was able to dig up was that the accused had paid Fist a visit as soon as he arrived on the Citadel."

"Go on," I said as my internal heads up display retrieved a condensed file on the officer in front of me.

"I asked around, and found out that Fist had betrayed the Shadow Broker and was working for Saren." I silently analysed the data as he rambled on. "And it was only a matter of following Fist's most loyal henchmen to find out what was going on."

"And what is going on?" I demanded as the holographic document was saved into my internal hard drive for closer examination at a later date.

"I think I should answer that, Commander," nervously muttered Alenko as he gingerly shuffled into the conversation.

"I want someone to answer it!" I forcefully replied as frustration began to build up internally.

"Understood, Commander," spluttered the Marine as he started his explanation in a state of noticeable anxiety. "The doctor who ran the centre was being threatened into remaining silent about a quarian that she'd been treating." This particular revelation piqued my interest as it hinted at a host of potential possibilities.

"What's so interesting about the quarian?" rumbled Wrex from where he stood leaning against a wall; a silent questioning looks was quickly exchanged between me and my subordinate before he continued speaking.

"She'd been shoot on the Presidium while trying to see the Council." An unhappy look flashed across the man's face as he said this. "She was forced to flee into the Wards to escape her pursuers and had dragged herself into the free clinic with a bleeding shoulder wound." _That complicates things_, I quietly thought as the man paused for breath. An exposed injury could jeopardise the quarian's infamously weak constitution as her immune system would over react to jettison all alien matter from the body. "The doctor patched her up and sent her to Fist for protection."

"Why did she do that?" I enquired calmly as I mentally began swearing at the woman's stupidity.

"It seems that the girl had something valuable to trade with the Shadow Broker," interrupted Garrus. "Something about the geth." That comment definitely caught my attention.

"She must have hard evidence that links Saren to the attack on Eden Prime," I muttered as my brain went into overdrive. "It's too bad that the doctor sent our only lead to Fist. I suspect she still thought that he worked for the Shadow Broker, correct?" The question was silently answered by a gentle nod from Ashley Williams, who had remained quiet during the explanation. "We need to find this quarian as soon as possible and transport her to a secure location."

"Should we go and talk to the human ambassador, skipper?" enquired the gunnery chief as she walked over towards the nearest exit.

"We don't have time for that. Fist already has a head start on us and, by the time we get through half the red tape, the girl will be dead." I pulled out my sidearm. "It's about time we paid my old associate an overdue visit. Gear up."

* * *

><p><strong>(I hope you all liked this chapter, a new one should be here soon)<strong>

**(Please review it means so much to me and my proof read that we know that all our hard work isn't going to wasted)**

**(Sincerely gos-own) **


	7. Chapter 7: With good intentions

**(Sorry for the long wait, I had a lot of probelms getting this to the pass)**

**(I just wanted to say thank you to htawing for getting me to this point and thank you to Darth Azrael for stepping for the save)**

**(I hope you guys like this chapter, please review)**

**(Sincerly Gods-own) **

Chapter 7: With good intentions 

"God damn it!" Shouted Williams as rifle rounds ripped through the surrounding décor. "Who the hell told them that we were coming?" Wrex chuckled as he heard this.

"You humans don't know how to appreciate a good fight" he teasingly stated as his shotgun roared, quickly followed by a high-pitched scream as a severed human limb was sent flying through the air, the blood trail splattering the ground.

"Stay focused!" I coldly snapped as I my gun arm dragged itself around to let off an accurate shot that sent an unfortunate individual sprawling backwards into a table in a shower of deep crimson.

"Krogan on our right!" nervously shouted Vakarian as the lumbering brute hurled itself out of cover.

"Noted" I retorted as the enraged monster took an angry swing at me which cut a noticeable path through the air, unfortunately for my assailant a cocktail of combat stimulants were already blazing a trail deep into my ruined form; this resulted in an almost one sided fight as the out matched opponent was sent stumbling backwards from a thundering body blow, moments later this was followed up by a devastating left hook that paint one side of the attackers face a drenched scarlet, that in itself would have been bad enough for the unfortunate soul but the all too familiar sound of my arms prosthetic's casing shifting ever so slightly clearly indicated were it would eventually lead and a split second later it materialized as the inbuilt blade forced its way up through the monster's jaw; directly into its brain.

"Nice one Commander" laughed the towering figure my left as he delivered the coup de grace to a downed opponent, crushing its head with his massive foot.

"Stay focused" I muttered as my over blade sliced its way across an exposed throat, allowing the bubbling fluid within to spill out.

"Roger Commander" replied Alenko as he sent as shock form somersaulting through the in a blur of biotic power; as soon as the fire fight had started it was finished, blood and bone matter splattered nearly every surface and hanging like a dense mist over this hellish scene was the unmistakable stench of cheap alcohol that seemed to leach out from behind the ruined bar.

"What a waste of good booze" grumbled Wrex as our little troop carefully picked their way through the carnage.

"Nice to see that you've got your priorities straight." retorted Garrus in a critical tone.

"Don't tell me what I should be thinking turian." growled the scared Krogan as he squared off against the young C-Sec Officer.

"Enough!" I shouted over my shoulder in peeved frustration. "Get your heads back in the game or fuck off, do I make myself clear!" the aliens' were taken aback by my sudden outburst.

"Sorry Commander" stammered an ashamed Garrus as his military training finally kicked in.

"I knew you had a quad human", chuckled the mercenary as he drew himself back to the task at hand. "Nice to see that you haven't lost it.", I coldly ignored the statement as my mind slipped back into a professional setting.

"Lieutenant, how's that door coming on?" I inquired in an authoritative tone at the man who was bent over an access panel with sweat pouring off his face.

"Give me thirty seconds Commander." frantically spluttered the subordinate as he reached further into darkened space behind the bulkhead.

"I disarmed four WMDs in the time that it's taking you to get the outer casing off!" I coldly retorted at the man's back.

"Sorry Sir", apologized the figure as he activated his omni-tool for half a second. "That's got it" He muttered as there came the all too familiar ping as the glass portal pulled apart to reveal the next section of the nightclub.

"Williams, Wrex stay here, make sure that no one gets in behind us, understood?" it wasn't really a question and they both new it, as their simultaneous nods clearly indicated. "Let's move!" I snapped as I momentarily glanced at my internal battery life out of the corner of my heads up display.

"Understood Command" replied Alenko as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Roger that" stated Vakarian as he fiddled with the crosshairs on his assault rifle.

"Go!" our little trio stormed into the room, a pair of what appear to be dockworkers desperately attempted to slow us down but a blaze of gunfire quickly silenced them.

"Was that really necessary Sir?" quietly asked the Lieutenant as he fleeting looked at the bloodied bodies as we passed.

"Stay focused soldier!" I replied in forceful tones as the next pair of doors opened up in front of us.

"Bloody die!" shouted an unfortunately familiar voice as a chorus of mass effect suspended rounds began to cut through the surrounding space.

"Get to cover" I calmly ordered as we began to return fire with limited success as the petty thug activated a rusty pair of gun turrets that rose out of the floor, fortunately a quick wireless burst from my neural implants quickly brought them to a crashing halt as the aged hydraulics jammed halfway through.

"You bastards!" Shouted the target as a bullet ate its way through his shoulder, moments later this was followed up with a metallic kick to the face which sent a hair line fractured sprinting up the left side of the criminal's jaw.

"Takes one to know one Fist" I retorted as my outline homed into view through the smoke and flames of battle.

"You!" screamed the man as he recognized who he was talking to.

"Me" I coldly replied split-seconds before unloading a brutal shot into the downed figurer's right knee, blood and bone spilt forth; quickly staining the expensive looking carpet a deep crimson.

"Christ!" howled the flailing individual as he franticly attempted to stop the bleeding, with little success. "Why?" the bloodied man whispered through clenched teeth as I walked calmly towards him.

"Because I can" I answered as my left foot came to a slow rest just above the ruined limb. "Where's the quarian?" I demanded in a steady tone as my associates moved in behind me.

"Nuts to you!" Came the fiery reply from a usually cowardly man, unfortunately I wasn't in the mood for such open defiance and brought my heavy boot slamming down like thunder onto the broken joint; the scream which followed echoed throughout the surrounded structure, sending a frozen tingle surging down the spine for anyone who heard it and the Lieutenant turned a paler shade of grey.

"I'm going to ask one more time Fist" I coldly whispered as my face draw close to his. "Where is the quarian?" the man remained tit lipped, moments later I pushed the warm gun barrel down onto the over knee. "I won't ask a third time." I whispered as a loud roar split the immediate space around the pair.

"She's in a back alley, between the Wards and the free medical clinic; the turian knows where it is" I glanced at Garrus as soon as the human had finished speaking before rising to my feet.

"I been to the alley he's taking about commander, I'm sending the location to your omni-tool now" but even as the officer did this the blood socked criminal began laughing softly to himself in a particularly uncomfortable way.

"What's so funny Fist?" I inquired as the man slowly raised his head to look at me.

"She'll be dead before you get there" chuckled the forlorn figure as a dark stream began to trickle out of one ear. "You see, I told Saren before I told you" His dark laughter was cut short by a sudden wave of violent coughing that surged through his limp form.

"You son of a bitch!" growled Garrus as he lurched towards the stricken individual, fortunately for the young man I had the common sense to block his path with an outstretched arm.

"Stay professional Mr. Vakarian" I calmly stated as Alenko helped to get the C-Sec officer under control. "I won't you two outside, now!" I barked in an authoritative tone that sent my lackeys scuttling out of site.

"You won't make it in time!" spluttered Fist as he looked up at the ceiling.

"I wouldn't bet on it" I replied as my firearm slowly dropped down until it came to a rest squarely in-between the man's eyes.

"See you in hell Agent Andrew!" Spat the doomed soul as he embraced his fate.

"More than likely" I coldly retorted as the round the painted the back of the recipient's head all over the floor in a shower of gory reds and greys.

* * *

><p>"What the hell is going on?" I roared over the deafening sound of battle as I came striding back into the main area of the establishment.<p>

"What does it look like!" growled Wrex as he sent an enemy flying backwards in a burst of blue biotic energy.

"Now is not the time!" I retorted as a rifle round split the air mere millimeters above my head.

"At least fourteen hostiles Commander, they came rushing in just after you left" shouted Williams as she gun down a hapless thug with pinpoint fire, this particular revelation complicated matters considerably, I turned to look at the rest of my squad who were even now engaging an unorganized and dishevelled enemy.

"We don't have time for this" I grumbled in frustration as I partly decapitated an unlikely individual with an unnervingly accurate shot "The asset is time sensitive we need to move" the Krogan chuckled darkly as he heard this.

"The bucket head will have to wait; we have more important things to think about right now" He stated as more blood was spilled on his weapons behalf.

"That's not an option!" I angrily snapped as more opponents came churning into the room. "I'm go to make a brake for the exit cover me!" everyone silently nodded in acceptance as I hastily buttoned up my coat all the way to the top, moments later the garments inbuilt circuitry activated as I triggered my light refracting camouflage.

"Now!" I roared in a disembodied voice as my cloaked form vaulted over a section of cover and they duly did as the surrounding air almost ignited in the torrent of ammunition being sent down feel towards the enemy; unsurprisingly the hired muscle decided to keep their heads down, which was just what I was counting on as I thundered across the open space towards the main exit, unfortunately at that exact moment some unlucky fool got caught in the shoulder by a ricochet and was sent stumbling into my path.

"To bad" I whispered as my combat blades slid out on mental command, the ill-fated figure was flung backwards as the impact sent both were smashing through the glass panelling that made up the door; it wasn't the stealthiest of exits but I couldn't complain for without pausing to breath I launched myself off the deceased cadaver and on wards towards the designated indicator on my heads up display.

* * *

><p>The seconds were quickly ticking by as I threw myself through the warren of twisting alleyways that made up the dark sections of the Wards; after what felt like an eternity I came hurtling around a corner to be confronted by an all too unpleasant scene; the female quarian was locked in a heated argument with a shady looking turian, who was flanked by a pair of suited salarians that had the air unpleasantness about them.<p>

"Down!" my voice roared to the feminine outline as I threw myself from the top of the stairs into the melee below, a round snapped through the surrounding space and shattered the firearm that was tightly gripped my left hand, but even this didn't seem to stop me for as I came crashing down onto the flabbergasted lead assassin I sank the broken remains of my trusty weapon into face of the darkly marked turian, the lifeless body thrashed frantically as deep blue blood came rushing up through the fatal wound in the aliens face.

"Keelah" stammered the woman as she saw me throw myself once more at the remaining opponents, my blades had only partly left their housing before they found themselves being put to good use as the pair sunk themselves deeply into the terrified figure in front of me in a shower of orange fluid that surged down over my arms in a gory tide, a split-second later I ripped the left arm free as I spun around on my toes in a wide scything movement that ended as the lead edge bite clean through the front half of the over Salarian's neck, which systematically erupted in a unbelievable wave of gory carnage that painted the left side of my body an indescribable color.

"Tastes bloody awful" I remember muttering as I spat the foul contents of my mouth onto the blood soaked floor and then there came an all too familiar click as my audio implant picked up the tell-tale sound of a gun barrel extending into place.

"Let me give you a piece of advice Miss" I calmly stated as I turned to face the noticeably nervous girl, who was brandishing a firearm in my general direction. "Don't point a gun at someone unless you intend to use it" this particular sentence seemed to hit a chord with the girl for a brief moment's hesitation she lowered the weapon until it came to rest by her side.

"Nice to see someone who has common sense" I grumbled aloud to myself, but this thought was interrupted by a feminine voice that cut through the unnatural silence.

"What do you want?" the voice was noticeably steely but there was still a slight hint of uncertainty in her words.

"You have important evidence linking to an ongoing investigation" but my explanation was interrupted once more by the woman who at that exact moment decided to throw a spanner into the works.

"You mean the evidence tying Saren to the geth attack on Eden Prime?" I paused briefly before replying to the question.

"You read the date?" the quarian gave me disbelieving sigh before continuing.

"Why do you think I'm in this mess!" she angrily retorted while glaring at the unfortunate assassins lying all around her. "I knew I couldn't trust Fist, he must have set me up" I detected movement on my internal radar but decided to remain quiet and continue the conversation.

"He did but that's already been taking care of" this revelation seemed to take the female figure by surprise as she tilted her head on one side as if weighing up a question in her mind.

"Then I'm doubly in your debt" she calmly replied. The professional nature of exchange was shattered by the sudden crescendo of thundering feet that could be heard echoing off the surrounding bulkheads as my team came sprinting into view; unsurprisingly the witness did not take the unexpected emergence of heavily armed individuals with good grace as the threatening firearm pointed at Garrus's head clearly indicated.

"They're with me" I explained as a tense stand-off abruptly erupted, there was an agonizing pause as the suit figure weighed up her options.

"I'll just have to take your word for it" she eventually stated as the weapon was returned to its collapsed form as she attached it to the magnetic clamp on her thigh.

"Have any trouble" I enquired as my vision caught sight of a number of nasty looking scratches that dotted the party in front of me.

"Nothing we couldn't handle Sir" breathlessly replied Alenko as he caught his breath.

"Good to hear" I calmly said as I turned my attention back towards the quarian who was sifting her weight from one foot to the other. "If you want to pay back you debt you can come along with us to the human embassy on the Presidium, I've got orders from the Ambassador to bring in any potential evidence and you will be a lot safer there then you will be here in the open. There was another long pause as the individual thought over her options, it did take a lot longer than I had anticipated, but eventually the girl came around to my way of seeing thing as she nodded in silent agreement. "Good" I turned to my ever increasing entourage. "Fall in around the witness, I don't want anyone to get a clear shot, understood?" it wasn't really a question and everyone knew it.

"Let's move!" I snapped as our little army moved off towards the relative security of the upper levels.

…..

"You're not making my life easy Shepard, gunfights in the ward? An all-out assault on Chora's Den, do you know how many…" the politician paused in mid-sentence as he noticed the uninvited guest that stood behind my right shoulder. "Who is this? A quarian, what are you up to Shepard?" furiously demanded Udina as he gave the silent alien a particularly unpleasant stare.

"My job" I coldly retorted as jerked a thumb over my shoulder in the girl's general direction. "The quarian has…" but my explanation was suddenly interrupted by the new arrival as she forced her way into the conversation.

"I have a name its Tali, Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya!" the heated nature of statement made me silently revise my original assessment of the woman.

"My apologies Miss Zorah" This seemed to placate the female figure significantly as she shifted into a less tense stance as I continued my explanation "Miss Zorah has indisputable evidence linking Saren to the geth" this announcement sent eyebrows racing skywards as the individuals in front of me heard this.

"Are you certain Commander?" enquired Anderson as he took a noticeable step towards the now respected visitor.

"As certain as I can be without looking at the data" and almost on cue Tali'Zorah began to tap away frantically on a particularly battered looking omni-tool.

"I had just left the flotilla when reports started coming in of geth activity outside the Perseus Vale, I was intrigued and wanted to find out more" at that point lieutenant Alenko decided to ask a question.

"Why did you leave the Migrant Fleet?" he asked, but for the sake of priorities I decided to deliver my own explanation so not to divert too much from the final destination of the conversation.

"She's on her pilgrimage, it's a quarian rite of passage into adulthood correct?" the teenager nodded in silent astonishment for half a second before quickly turning back to the task at hand.

"I followed a party of geth to an isolated world and managed to ambush a lone straggler; before it managed to completely destroy its memory core I managed to recover a number of useful files, including a sizeable ordeal file I think you should listen to" As she was delivering her explanation I found myself taking a professional interest in the young girl in front of me; it was unusual to find someone as talented in I.T skills as her and with being a quarian with a smattering of the same it warranted further investigation; but the idea had to be shelved for now as sound began to spiral out from the holographic speakers on the omni-tool.

"Eden Prime was a major victory, the beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit" the unmistakable tones of Saren's voice echoed around the space as everyone listened in silence. "And one step closer to the return of the Reapers" the second voice cut through the shocked silence like a knife through butter and unfortunately for me it was one that I knew all too well.

"Is everything all right Commander?" professionally enquired the Captain as he the flash of tension spread across my features, I immediately deflected the question onto the over thing that had been affecting me in an attempt to conceal my unwelcome surprise.

"I've heard that word _Reapers _before but I can't remember where" it was my superiors turn to look concerned.

"From you time at Synthetic Insights?" I shook my head in disagreement before continuing.

"I would have no problem remembering if it was linked to them, this feeling, it more like a ghost in the system, I can't nail it down"

"According to the memory core the Reapers were a hyper advanced machine race that wiped out all advanced civilisation fifty thousand years ago, including the protheans" every pair of eyes in the room found themselves staring unblinkingly at the young quarian, who began to fidget nervously in response.

"Well that just great!" muttered Williams to no one in particular as she began grumbling under her breath.

"At least we found out why I know the word Reapers" I stated as the room's atmosphere took on obviously unsettling feeling.

"The Prothean beacon on Eden Prime?" Asked Anderson as he raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Seems more than likely" I replied.

"This all sounds a little far-fetched to me" stated the Ambassador as he nervously adjusted a cufflink.

"And so was the idea of an attack on Eden Prime little under twenty four hours ago" I retorted in tired frustration, this remark seemed to catch the politician unprepared for all he could do was spluttering in exasperation before turning back to the topic at hand.

"At least we can get Saren with this" the man announced as he began typing away on his personal console. "I'm sending an emergency request to see the council, you better get up there Commander and take the witness with you" I barely heard the last half of the order as the door closed shut behind me and my ragtag squad.

"Williams, Vakarian get Miss Zorah to the council chamber on the double!" the teenager's feet barely touched the ground as the duo almost lifted her off the floor and thundered out a view. "Alenko, I want you to take Wrex to the Normandy, get him set up" I glanced at the mercenary who wore a particularly amused expression on his face. "Don't start Wrex" I snapped "You heard the recording, you're in this for the long haul" the alien chuckled deeply as he heard this.

"Just as long as I get paid" he replied.

"Send an expenses claim to the Ambassador when this is over" I coldly stated as I waved them away; for the first time in a long time I found myself along and I didn't waste it for moments later my omni-tool flashed into life as my right danced over the holographic keys as I hastily wrote out an e-mail to Mr. Coyle's inbox, it was only eight words long.

FOUND EVIDENCE. MATRIARCH BENEZIA IS INVOLVED. NEED SUPPORT.

I press the send button and made a speedy dash towards the nearest elevator.

* * *

><p><span>Thirty minutes later<span>:

"This evidence is irrefutable Ambassador, Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status and all effort will be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes" stated the Turian councilor as the recording came to an end, out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of the asari representative's pained expression.

"I recognized the over voice in the recording" She nervously spluttered "Matriarch Benezia" I had already come to the same conclusion but had decided to hide this fact from my superiors for certain undisclosed reasons which I didn't want to elaborate on any time soon.

"I don't know why she would support such an action, but she will provide Saren with a powerful ally, she was highly regarded and had substantial amount of followers" The salarian councilors seemed more interested in the last moments of the audio file.

"I'm more interested in these Reapers. What do you know about them?" the bureaucrat enquired.

"Not much" replied Anderson.

"Only that they exterminated all life fifty thousand years ago" I added, unsurprisingly this had an almost predictably shattering impact on the councilors' as the amount of disbelieving glances clearly indicated.

"This can't be real" Muttered the turain representative "Where did the reapers go, where have they been for the last fifty thousand years?" I was growing steadily more frustrated with these bumbling buffoons, who refused to even contemplate the existence of an unknown enemy even when there was evidence placed in front of them.

"You doubted me when I warned you about Saren Arterius, you doubted my evidence because I'm augmented" the asari desperately attempted to interrupt me but I wasn't having any of it. "How long are you going to doubt people councilors' is it going to be right up to the moment when the reapers come storming in over the barricades?" an uneasy silence filled the surrounding space as everyone desperately attempted to find something else to look at.

"This is different Commander" uneasily stated the asari councilor. "You proved Saren betrayed the council and we can all agree that he is hunting for the conduit" she waved the turian's councilor's angry huff a side as she continued talking. "But we don't know why?" the female avian explained.

"Then send me after him" I coldly demanded "I'll find out one way or another what he's up to" the salarian representative desperately attempted to interject but once more his concerns were quickly pushed aside by his blue skinned associate.

"That sound reasonable" she replied, I started to get the distinct feeling that my support from Mr. Coyle had finally arrived as the woman openly began to support my idea even though the turian councilor was totally opposed to the idea.

"Would you rather have the Alliance Navy sending ships into the Traverse to hunt Saren down councilor?" she politely asked with forceful undertones.

"I see your point" the man grudgingly admitted as the salarian glanced at his two colleagues before speaking.

"If Commander Shepard is going to do this, then we better make it official so to avoid any potential pitfalls" the subtle request once more hit a sore note with the turian, who didn't look happy with the idea in the slightest.

"We can't, humanity is not ready for responsibility that comes with joining the Spectres" growled the alien as he angrily turned to glare at the source of the suggestion.

"We can't send the Commander out into the Traverse without council backing, he won't make any headway, Saren is too well entrenched and as to much support to be overcome any over way" the argument was well thought out; which was surprising since the idea had probably only come from CEO of Synthetic Insights about half an hour ago and it seemed to work as the stubborn individual seemed to be coming around to the idea.

"If you're uncomfortable with the idea councilor, then we can demand that Shepard make regular reports to us so that we can monitor his progress" added the salarian as he attempted to support his female colleague's suggestion.

"Fine, let's get this over and done with" muttered the turain as he turned away to stare at a particular section of panelling.

* * *

><p>The ceremony was a tedious affair, with the usual pomp and ceremony of a royal wedding; it wasn't something I particularly enjoyed as a rule, my career history clearly indicated that the more someone stood out the harder they would be knocked back down.<p>

"You're the first human spectre Commander; this is a great accomplishment both for you and your entire species" I bowed stiffly at here this.

"This is an honor councilor" I robotically replied as if reading from a scripted, this seemed to placated the officials' who quietly vanished from view.

"Congratulations Commander" happily stated Anderson as he grabbed hold of my left hand and shook it vigorously; even though I disliked physical contact I allowed this instant to slide due to the obvious respect that my commanding officer was showing me.

"Thank you sir" I uncharacteristically muttered, not totally sure about how to proceed with the flow of the conversation; fortunately the ambassador decided to make himself known at that exact moment and take the emphasis away from me.

"We've got a lot of work to do Shepard, you're going to need a ship, a crew, supplies" the bureaucrat glanced over at the captain as he said this. "Anderson come with me, I'm going to need your help setting all of this up" and with that the reluctant duo made a mad dash to the nearest elevator.

"Not even a thank you from the ambassador" spat Williams unhappily as she watched the hurrying figure vanish from view.

"We don't do this to get thanked Williams" I retorted in chastising tones, which didn't go unnoticed by the over members of our little group.

"You sound just like my boss at C-Sec" chuckled Garrus, who rapidly decided to set up as he caught the withering glare that I was sending in his general direction.

"Did you say something Vakarian?" I whispered coldly, the alien shook his head in silent denial. "I didn't think so" I added.

"I better get going" the statement echoed through the air as I glanced over towards the teenage quarian. "This was really interesting but I need to get back to my pilgrimage" I noticed that the woman was running her hands through each other with nervous energy.

"It's up to you Miss Zorah, I can't stop you, but before you go can I offer you a proposition?" the question seemed to peak the individual's interest as she tilted her helmeted head onto one side before replying.

"I'm listening" I caught a hint of joyful curiosity in her tones.

"If you don't mind me saying so Miss Zorah you have a natural talent for technology" I could've sworn that the woman turned a deep shade of violet under her visor but the tinted screen made it hard to tell. "I need someone like that on my team" I caught sight of my other subordinate's looking slightly ruffled as I said this, which I didn't allow to go unchallenged.

"Are you questioning my judgment?" I sharply demanded; the unusual pair quickly took a step back as I began my verbal lashing down. "Can either of you hack a living computer in little under thirty seconds?" I paused as if allowing them to respond, when no reply could be detected I continued with an ever increasing pace. "No, well that's how fast Miss Zorah did it in and you want know how I know that? Because I've tried to do it myself and failed, that's how good she is" an uncomfortable silence descended as I turned my attention back towards the teenager who was desperately attempting to remain invisible. "Of course I won't be expecting you undertake such an action for free, an hourly wage will be provided, set to the galactic standard rate for your skills" this particular announcement seemed to completely blow away the female figure who just stood there gobsmacked. "If you want some time to decide you can find me at this docking point" I sent the location wirelessly using my neural implant.

"Thank you Commander" spluttered Tali as she slowly moved off down a nearby staircase and down into the milling crowd of politicians that had appeared to watch the ceremony.

"We better get back to the Normandy commander" stated Williams as she moved up slowly behind me.

"Good idea chief" I replied as I turned to look at Garrus. "Vakarian your coming with me, I'll send a transfer request to your superiors on the way" once more my statement was met with only confused silence. "Haven't got a problem with that do you officer?" I coldly demanded.

"No Sir" hurriedly replied the turian as he fell in behind me as we headed towards the nearest exit.

"Good lets go"

* * *

><p>After what felt like an eternity the glass lift came to a gentle halt at the docking point for the Normandy, unfortunately the ride was made even more intolerable by the voice of the local news anchor going on about some missing survey team in the Hades Gama Cluster.<p>

"Don't they ever have anything interesting on the radio these days" I muttered as the door silently slid open to reveal the seductive outline of an all too familiar vessel and standing beside that was a small group of extremely unhappy looking people.

"What going on?" I forcefully asked as I caught sight of Alenko mixed in with some other members of the crew, the Lieutenant turned as he heard my voice.

"Commander" he replied in a high state of agitation as we drew level.

"Talk to me Lieutenant?" I ordered as I ran my gaze of the congregated individuals surrounding me.

"I think the captains should explain it to you sir" replied the officer as he point to the end of the docking bay. "You'll find him and the ambassador up there" I nodded in silent acknowledgement and dismissed my small squad with a wave of a hand; moments later I found myself calmly striding up the metal platform towards the figure silhouetted at the far end.

"Captain, Ambassador" the pair turned to glanced at me as I came to a halt in front of them. "What's going on?" I quietly enquired as I detected a noticeable hint of tension between the two.

"I've got big new for you Shepard, Captain Anderson is stepping down as commanding Officer of the Normandy, the ship is yours now" this unexpected declaration took me by surprise, but I retained by professional composer and turned look at until recently my CO.

"Captain?" the man detected the slight hint of confused in my voice and acted on it to placate the building guilt.

"Don't give me that Commander, we both knew this would happen, the Normandy's quick and quiet; just the kind of ship for this kind of operation" he glanced over at the slumbering vessel before continuing. "And you need your own vessel command" a sad grin spread across his face. "Remember a spectre reports to no one but the council and you can't really do that with an old man like me constantly watching over your shoulder" the decision didn't sit well with me but I could see the logic in the man's argument and as I stood there all I could hear was Mr Coyle's voice echoing inside my head repeating the instructions he'd given me the day I became an agent.

* * *

><p>"You don't do what is right agent" he'd said to me as I stood alone in an empty, white room. "You do what's necessary, no matter the cost, am I understood?" it wasn't a question.<p>

"Yes sir" I'd quietly replied and from that moment on what was left my soul died then and there.

* * *

><p>"Just remember Commander your actions reflect on humanity as a whole; you make a mess and I get left cleaning it up" my patience of the politician in front of me had reached its limits and the way that he'd been treating the captain while in front of me was the straw that broke the camel's back.<p>

"I'm not here to care about your political career ambassador!" I snapped as I point an angry finger at him. "I'm here to take care of the shit no one else wants to handle, if you can't deal with that then take your complaints to alliance command and get the hell out of my face!" the man in front of me turn a lobster red and I thought for a moment that he'd have a heart attack, unfortunately he seemed to overcome this instant without incident and coldly turned on his heels and marched towards the exit.

"He's just doing his job Commander" stated Anderson as slowly walked over towards the other side of the platform, though I noticed that the man didn't actually discipline me for my lack of professional conduct; this statement was followed by a long pause that seemed to last forever.

"Don't worry Anderson" I said in an attempt to shake the uneasy feeling that was encroaching on my spine. "I'll return her as good as new, you have my word" this drew a genuine smile from my superiors he turned to stare at me.

"You think they'll give me back the Normandy?" he asked sarcastically as I shrugged my shoulders in response.

"I don't know, but the one thing I can be certain of is that when all this is over I'll either be dead or in prison, which never comes first" a serious look spread across the man's countenance as he heard this.

"Whatever it takes?" he quietly enquired.

"Whatever it takes" I calmly replied, as I said this he held out his hand once more in a friendly handshake and for once I didn't hesitate in shake it.

"Good luck Shepard"

"I don't need luck sir" I retorted as I stepped away from the man, who just softly laughed at my remark.

* * *

><p>The airlock door swished closed behind me as I walked onto the ship commander deck, I paused ever so slightly before deciding that I better clock in with Flight Lieutenant Moreua, against my better judgement.<p>

"Sir I heard what happened to Captain Anderson, survives a hundred battles and then gets taken down by backroom politics" I watched in silence as the man's obvious frustration boiled to the surface. "I'm just saying; watch your back Commander if things go fubar on this mission it your head on the chopping block"

"Noted", I replied as I glanced around at the glowing displays. "Anything I should know about?" I enquired in a professional manner, the man quickly brought up a side screen before replying.

"We got a secure data file from ambassador Udina a few moments ago; it's marked for your eyes only" the pilot let a smirk quickly spread across his face as he said this. "You must have left an impression Commander" I ignored the satirical tones in the man's voice and got on with the task at hand.

"Have all of our supplies been brought on board?" I asked, in response to my question Mr. Moreua brought up a second holographic screen and turned it to face me.

"All stores accounted for Sir" he replied.

"What about medical supplies, have all primary and secondary items been delivered?" I could tell that the pilot was becoming frustrated with my constant questioning, but I partly wanted to see how long the man's patients would last.

"I don't know Commander; you're going to need to speak to Dr. Chakwas for information like that"

"Noted Flight Lieutenant" I turned and began walking back down the deck towards the elevator; I paused to deliver one final order over my shoulder before disappearing from sight.

"Contact me if anything new comes up, understood?" the order was meet with a less than enthusiastic response but for this one instant I decided to let it slide, they're more important things to do than shout at a mouthy pilot. Five minutes later I was regretting my decision as I found myself locked in a heated discussion with the ship's doctor.

"I need to carry out a medical evaluation on you Commander Shepard before we leave dry dock, it's a matter of accurate records, who knows when I'll need this information" I inwardly sighed as I heard this.

"Can't I just forward you my medical records from when I joined the N7 training program?" I replied half-heartedly, it was hard to be angry at Dr. Chakwas; she was so dedicated to her job.

"Those files are twelve months out of date!" but the woman wasn't making it easy.

"We'll get around to it when everything else is taking care of" and with that I hastened away before the professional could tie me down both metaphorically and physically. As I thundered across the galley I almost ran into Gunnery Chief Williams who was coming in the other direction.

"Sorry Sir" stammered the female Marine as she regained her balance from almost being sent tumbling to the floor below.

"No problem Chief, just watch out next time" the flustered figure nodded in silent agreement as I continued talking. "Is everyone here, what about the non-human crewmembers, are they ready to ship out?" the question obviously generated heated feelings within the individual and as she opened her mouth I had an all too familiar feeling.

"About that Sir" I could tell that what was about to come next wasn't something that should be spoken loud in public.

"I don't have time to discuss this Williams, if you have a problem, come and see me after we leave dry dock, understood?"

"Crystal Sir!" loudly replied the Marine as she turned to leave, but before she could do this Flight Lieutenant Moreua voice came echoing in over the intercom.

"Er, Commander, there's a request from C-Sec, they're holding a person of interest at the main elevator to the docking bay, by all accounts they keeps trying to gain access to your departure point, the individual keeps saying that she works for the alliance" I glanced over at the Gunnery Chief before replying.

"I'm on my way up, tell them to escort the individual to the docking platform and make sure they treated her with respect; am I clear Lieutenant?" I coldly demanded as I silently indicated for the soldier to fall in behind me as we headed that the airlock on the command deck.

"I'm already sending the order now Commander" replied the disembodied voice as we sprinted up the stairs.

"Good job Mr. Moreua" I stated as the two of us stormed past him and into the decontamination cycle.

* * *

><p>I was silently cursing the absurdly slow VI system as the door silently slipped open in front of us to reveal a particularly interesting scene; several armed members of C-Sec were standing around one, lone quarian, who had the unmistakable aura of someone who was going to break something in the near future.<p>

"Was that really necessary officer?" I enquired as I indicated towards the armed escort.

"You can't trust these quarian's Commander, they steal anything that isn't nailed down and especially so around top of the line equipment." the woman's aura was becoming dangerously violent and I decided to defuse the situation in such a way as to these offices are less in manners.

"Gunnery Chief Williams!" I barked.

"Yes Sir" snapped the marina as she sprang to attention.

"While I'm talking to Ms. Zorah Can you _inform_ these gentlemen why they shouldn't gang up on a long woman" I inwardly smile as my eyes caught sight of her clicking her knuckles in anticipation.

"With pleasure Sir" she replied as I lead the teenager from the unfolding carnage that was about to ensue; we managed to get a good twenty feet away before the foul language drove the terrified officers from the docking bay.

"I apologise for your ill-treatment Ms. Zorah, I had forgotten that C-Sec discriminates against your people" it was only a half-truth but it was better than admitting that you hadn't planned appropriately for the situation.

"It's completely fine Commander" applied the woman as she played with her hand due to nervous energy. "It wasn't your fault" she glared over at the elevator doors. "A lot of people think that we're nothing better than beggars and thieves, especially those in authority" I brush that argument aside with a wave of a gloved hand.

"Then you haven't actually spent any time in the company of quarians, otherwise they wouldn't be even contemplating that idea" the remark seemed to make the female quarian even more uncomfortable.

"Your too kind Commander, it's rare to find someone that thinks the way that you do" I brushed the compliment aside and got back to the task at hand.

"You turned up just in time, the Normandy was just about to depart" I professionally indicated over towards the waiting frigate. "She's top of the line, so there shouldn't be any major problems in engineering, but judging from what seen so far you could probably prove a real asset in that department" even more nervous fidgeting accompanied the comment as the woman heard it.

"Thank you Commander, I won't let you down" the nervous figure quickly held out a three fingered hand in an all too familiar gesture, I stared at the offered greeting for a long moment before glancing up at the individual's helmeted face.

"I don't shake hands" I coldly replied, almost instantaneously the hand was snatched back as the female figure began to stammer out an apology.

"Sorry, I read that it was a standard greeting amongst your people, I didn't mean to offend you" I inwardly side and for some unknown reason I found myself feel slightly ashamed at my tactless response.

"It's not your fault Miss Zorah" I slowly pulled off the black, elbow length glove that hid the lower half of my right prosthetic arm from the world; light glinted off the metallic casing and every time I flexed one of the metal digits I could have sworn that the girl's heart jumped a beat. "Augmented individuals such as myself don't tend to like physical contact with people, it only reinforces the realization of what we've lost" I offered the robotic appendage in her direction "But it was impolite of me to refuse, especially since it was myself who offered you the position in the first place" the woman was staring intently at the matter back hand that was being offered her. "You don't have to shake it if you don't want to, some people find it uncomfortable due to the difference in grip" but even as I said this the individual let out a slight chuckle as she replied.

"It would be condescending of me to talk about prejudice and then turn down your greeting due to the fact that you're augmented" she took hold of my hand in a gentle embrace.

"I look forward to working with you Commander Shepard" quietly stated the teenager as she turned to gaze happily at the ship next to us.

* * *

><p><strong>(Thanky you for reading this, I hope you liked it)<strong>

**(please review, it means a lot to me)**

**(sincerly Gods-own)**


	8. Chapter 8: No way back

**(This is a re-proof proof read version, due to my reader seeing some missed sections)**

**(Here is chapter eight, hope you all like it)**

**(Once more a big thank you to my new proof reader for saving this work)**

**(Sincerly Gods-own)**

**Chapter 8: No way back**

"Is everything going smoothly down here?" the engineering team glanced around as I strode purposefully into their work space, the low hum of the Normandy's enormous drive core resonating in my ribcage.

"As smoothly as possible Commander" replied the chief engineer, who came to meet me halfway down the engine bay. "Greg Adams Sir" stated the man as he snapped off a textbook salute. "I've been appointed to the SSV Normandy as her head of engineering" I nodded in silent agreement before replying.

"I expect nothing but your best engineer Adams, but judging from your service history that pretty much guaranteed" I turned to look at the massive drive core in front of us before continuing. "Is the engine standing up to the pressure?"

"We've been steadily increasing the output demands over the last two hours of FTL travel, no problems to report, which I for one am extremely grateful for" the man quietly glanced over towards the newly arrived alien co-worker as he spoke " and is pretty much totally down to her" I raised an eyebrow behind my sunglasses as I heard this.

"Explain?" I enquired; the individual in front of me paused for half a second before replying.

"She has a real knack for technology that one, I'm pretty sure that given a month she'll understand our engines even better than I do" a wry smile spread across my face moments after hearing those words"

"That's why I hired her chief" I retorted as my hands readjusted my collar on my coat.

"Then you've got a real eye for talent Commander" replied the engineer as he turned back to face me.

"Comes with the territory" I stated as I glanced at my heads up display. "We'll be dropping out of FTL in about twenty minutes, stand by" the figures saluted once more before returning to his assigned tasks with renewed energy, moments later I found myself calmly striding over to the latest member of my crew, who was working away with the focused fascination of someone that truly loved their subject matter."Good to see that your liking your work Miss Zorah" I said in a louder than necessary voice so that I didn't startle her too much, unfortunately this didn't seem to work to well for as soon as the words had left my mouth the teenager noticeably jumped into the air in startled surprise.

"Commander you startled me" spluttered the female quarian as she spun around to face me.

"My apologies" I replied "Professional habit" the woman nodded in understanding as I continued talking. "You seem to be settling in okay down here" even as I said this I could tell that the figure in front of me was brimming with built-up enthusiasm as she subconsciously began bouncing on her toes in nervous energy.

"Your ship is amazing Shepard" suddenly exclaimed the young engineer as waved a hand at the surrounding space. "I've never seen a drive core like this before, how did you manage to get into such a small vessel?" I paused momentarily to weigh up any potential security breaches before starting my explanation.

"The Normandy is top-of-the-line technology, everything you see is cutting edge" I could have sworn that the quarian's eyes wide ever so slightly behind her visor as she heard this.

"A month ago I was reattaching a makeshift fuel line into a converted tug ship in the flotilla, now I'm sitting on board one of the most advanced vessels in the citadel space" She almost seemed to halt for half a moment before continuing. "I have to thank you again for bringing me along; travelling on a vessel like this is a dream come true for me" I ran a gloved hand through my shortcut hair in silent frustration before replying.

"You don't need to thank me Miss Zorah, you're here because I need talented individuals on my ship and as a result I hired you" glanced over towards the mass effect drive as I let my own opinion be known. "This isn't an act of pity, your drawing a wage and as such I expect you to give it your best effort, am I clear?" I watched as the figure flinched ever so slightly at hearing this, but at the same time there was a hint of pride at my words.

"I didn't mean to speak out of turn commander" stammered the girl as she nervously played with her hands.

"You didn't speak out of turn Miss Zorah" I replied. "Just don't think you're here out of some naïve sense of compassion, I don't believe in racial stereotyping as a rule and as a result I expect the best from the people I work with" the statement hung in the air as the individual next to me let this particular revelation sink in.

"Thank you Commander" whispered the obviously embarrassed teenager as she turned back to her terminal.

"You're welcome Miss Zorah" I calmly said as I began to walk away.

"Commander" I half paused to glance back over my shoulder in response to the enquiry.

"Yes?" I asked, the teenager was even more fidgety than usual as she seemed to work up the courage to say what she wanted to say, eventually the girl's bravery prevailed and a request floated through the air towards me.

"I prefer being called Tali commander, if that's alright with you" I bowed my head is ever so slightly in acceptance at the request.

"If that's what you want Tali; I hope that you understand that I only did it out of a mark of politeness, I didn't mean any disrespect" the girl quickly waved her hands in front of her in a mark of desperation as she attempted to apologise for the apology.

"I didn't mean it like that" the teenage quarian stammered in obvious embarrassment as she frantically attempted to explain herself. "It's just that I'm not used to being treated so nicely by an individual outside of the migrant fleet" I silently thought over her comment before replying in a steady tone.

"It's probably down to the fact that I've had more contact with individual quarians' then most people" I watched as the girl lifted her head up like a shot to look at me questioningly.

"You have?" She asked in surprised tones.

"I work for Synthetic Insights; we employ quite a few of skilled quarians' in a number of different departments" I slowly pulled off my right glove and held it up as I spoke. "The man who designed and attached this particular prosthetic limb was himself a quarian" This revelation seemed to hit a particular note with Tali who raised her hand to her chest in heartfelt surprise.

"He did?" she whispered.

"Yep, in fact he pretty much designed all of the current generation of robotic prosthetics that the company uses, he's presently the head of the main R&D department back on earth, but at the time that I was modified he was still just a technician in a lab"

"What is his name" Asked the teenager with obvious fascination.

"Cedric'Dolan" there was a short pause as the individual front of him began to rack her mind.

"I can't say that I've heard that name before, which is strange, especially as he's as talented as you say" I already knew that question was coming and had quite decided to side step the answer as much as possible.

"Not my place to say ma'am, you would have to ask him yourself if the two of you ever meet" the confused expression on the girls face (or at least the movement of her semi glowing eyes behind her facemask) was only amplified by this reply, but the entire conversation was quickly put to one side as the pilot's voice blared out over the ship's internal speakers.

"We'll be dropping into the Knossos system any moment now Commander" stated the disembodied voice as there came the subtle gravitational shift as the vessel bleed of speed.

"Our destination is the planet Therum, the target's coordinates are being uploaded to the galaxy map, take us in as quietly as possible, don't want to tip anyone off that we've arrived.

"Roger that Commander" replied the Flight Lieutenant as the speakers were switched off.

"Miss Zorah, come with me!" I snapped as my feet began carrying me towards the main cargo bay."Grab your gear you going to need it" the woman hastily nodded as we thundered into the designated gathering point; unfortunately besides Vakarian everyone else was absent, in a split second I opened the main com channel and shouted out a clear command.

"I want every member of the ground team in the cargo hold on the double!" the order echoed out over the air waves, unsurprisingly it didn't take very long for the little troupe to assemble in front of him."Listen up, we're coming into orbit around the planet Therum in the Knossos system, our target is one Doctor Liara T'Soni, she's the only daughter of asari Matriarch Benezia T'Soni, Saren's top lieutenant" I paused as the Gunnery Chief raised a hand in the air in a silent question.

"Williams?" I inquired.

"Are we going to kill the Doctor Commander" Asked the marine with in a professional tone, unsurprisingly the question didn't go down so well with a couple of the other team members who allowed disapproving looks to spread across their faces.

"Negative Chief" I replied "Intel strongly suggests that she is not linked in any way to what's going on in the wider scope of things" I glanced over at weapons lockers as I continue talking. "This is a retrieval operation, the target is one of the leading experts in the field of Galactic Extinction Theory, which ties in with the Reapers; unfortunately the enemy will already know about this and has probably taken steps to capture or kill the Doctor" once again my explanation was interrupted by a member of the team, only this time it's was Vakarian who posed the question.

"Do you really think that the matriarch would allow any harm to come to her daughter Commander?" asked the turian, as he adjusted a strap on his shin guard.

"If she was the same person that I meet five years ago than no, but the matriarch's behaviour of late doesn't make any sense so I'm not ruling anything out" the revelation that I had previously met the woman led to a number of raised eyebrows, but I wasn't in the mood to explain myself as I continue talking. "Williams you're driving the Mako, Vakarian you're in the gunner's seat next to her, everyone else get in the crew compartment on the double" the next five minutes flew by in a blur as the ground team manhandled themselves into the various armoured compartments that made up the vehicle, as the rear hatch was slammed shut I activated the interior speakers to talk to the unhappy pair up front.

"You ready Williams?" I inquired.

"Ready skipper!" replied the woman in energetic tones.

"Vakarian?" I forcefully stated.

"Mass accelerator is online, all ammo blocks are loaded." was the response.

"Good!" I snapped as my internal heads up display brought up the pilot secure line as I barked out another question. "ETA to drop point Flight Lieutenant?" the man's voice came echoing out through the reinforced compartments speakers.

"Thirty seconds Commander, standby for drop" I glanced out of the corner of my vision at the young quarian who sat across from me at the over end of the cramped cubicle.

"You ever done anything like this before Miss Zorah?" I quietly asked as there came the all too familiar vibration of the vehicle's engine being switched on.

"Going to save an asari scientist from geth kidnappers? It isn't something that they train you for on the flotilla" I smiled ever so slightly at the girl's slight mistake before replying.

"I meant riding in a Mako" I could have sworn that the female figure in front of me blushed deep purple in embarrassment as she stammered out her response.

"No Commander I've never ridden in one of these before" an unsettling chuckle escaped from my mouth as I heard this. "What's so funny?" said the slightly flustered teenager as the surrounding air was filled by the muffled sound of sirens as something began to happen in the world outside. "What's that noise?" asked Tali nervously as I reached over quietly towards the holographic screen set into the rear door, without uttering a word I activated the outside cameras to reveal the ship's cargo bay doors as they fully opened revealing the landscape.

"But we haven't landed yet!" exclaimed the noticeably anxious individual as she glanced at my general direction.

"Hang on" I calmly instructed as a split second later we shot out into the morning dawn that shrouded that particular point on the planet, unfortunately for the terrified quarian we were still several miles above the designated landing point; the subsequent descent in the armoured personnel carrier was completely dominated by the roaring laughter from the krogan mercenary and the frantic barrage of quarian swearing which lasted until the inbuilt eezo core and stabilizers kicked in to slow our descent to a crawl.

"You bosh'tet, why didn't you tell me that it would do that" cursed Tali as she gingerly let go of the safety harness that ran tight across her chest.

"Think of it as character building Miss Zorah, just the kind of thing you need on your pilgrimage" the reply generated a withering scowl from the woman as I opened the intercom once more. "Can you get through to the Doctor Flight Lieutenant?" the silence was suddenly broken the pilots agitated voice that blared out in response.

"I'm picking up some strange readings, really strange, like off the damn charts, it seems to be coming from a complex a couple of clicks away from the drop zone" I opened the on-board hollow screen to get a three-dimensional map of the surrounding landscape before replying.

"It seems to be some kind of underground complex, that's probably our best bet at were the targets located, Williams head towards those coordinates, double time it!"

"Roger that" responded the marine as the sudden uncomfortable impact clearly indicated our arrival on the planet surface, moments later there came the screech of tires as the Mako sped off towards its intended destination.

"What do you think we'll find their Commander?" asked Alenko as we thundered our way through the volcanic landscape.

"Nothing good probably" I calmly replied as I began to double check the multitude of equipment strapped to different sections of my breastplate.

"What's that Commander?" inquired Tali as she sure me pull my new firearm out of its shoulder holster.

"M-5 Phalanx, the weapon is still in the prototyping stages by the Alliance at the moment so they sent it to me for field testing" this admission didn't seem to overly placate the girl across from him but it didn't really matter he thought as he silently slapped a modified ammunition clip into place.

"Still using those things?" muttered the krogan in grudging respect as he caught sight of the markings on the side of the attachment.

"Your shoulder still hurting I take it?" I quietly retorted as the now finished weapon was returned to its allotted location.

"Only when I think of you" Came the chuckling reply from the man mountain, who pulled out a shotgun a began inspecting his mods, making sure the special shavers for the tungsten ammo block were installed properly, at that point the Lieutenant decided to interrupt with yet another unwanted question.

"Can't say that I recognize ammunition type Commander, care to share with the rest of the class what you brought for show and tell?" stated the man he turned around in his seat to get a better look at protruding attachment.

"It's called a Harpoon round" explained the mercenary as he allowed an uncomfortable smile spread across his scarred countenance. "The bullets penetrated the body and then detonate in a soft medium, like flesh" an uncomfortable silence descended upon our little group as I mentally cursed myself for bringing this monumental headache of an individual with me on this expedition.

"Aren't those things illegal under intergalactic weapon laws" came the disembodied voice of Garrus, which seemed to brake the uncomfortable stillness that had filled the back of the transport vehicle.

"Does anything that we're doing at the moment seem legal to you Vakarian?" I calmly replied as all of a sudden the entire structure of the armoured personnel carrier slammed viciously to one side. "Report!" I shouted heatedly into the intercom.

"Geth forces are dropping in all around us" snapped Williams flustered voice as the vehicle hurriedly swayed to one side as it evaded an unseen assailant.

"Do not engage them marine, they're trying to slow us down, break through no matter the cost!" the order was silently obeyed as the engine once more roared into life as it was switched into high gear with frightening speed.

"Hang on" I clearly stated as the other passengers hastily tightened their safety harnesses; it turned out to be a wise decision as five minutes later the our little world was shaken to its very foundations by a mammoth impact that sent sparks showering all over the passenger compartment.

"Hold on people!" shouted the gunnery chief as the vehicle seemed to the jump into the air.

"They deployed a geth colossus to block the way, we're taking a slight detour" the slightest hint of fear trickle down my back as I heard these words and against my better judgment I hardly switched on the inbuilt holographic screen, the view was unavoidably unpleasant, we were heading straight towards an extremely large cliff.

"What the hell are you doing Williams?" I shouted as out of the corner of my vision I caught sight of Tail hurriedly praying in quiet tones.

"We can make it skipper, the targets on the other side" I silently decided to discipline the woman when all this was over but at that exact moment we didn't have any other choice.

"Do it!" I replied as a split second later the entire automobile threw itself bodily into the boundless realms of sky that shrouded us on all sides, this rather pleasant experience was suddenly shattered as the vehicle clipped a rocky outcrop as it cleared the waiting void; the cramped confines spiraled head over tail as the weighty ATV cartwheel through the surrounding landscape until it came to a gradual halt jammed in between two boulders.

"Shout out if you're hurt!" I demanded as my metallic foot kicked out the exit point that had become jammed.

"Lieutenant Alenko is unconscious commander" stammered Tali as she attempted to drag the comatose individual out into the open, unfortunately the teenager was doing a rather bad job of it due to the fact that the man was nearly twice as heavy as she was.

"Give her a hand Wrex" I snapped as moved around towards the dented driver's door that point upwards into the air. "Williams, status report" I barked as my hand hammed forcefully on the closed portal.

"My bells been rung but my I'm still breathing" Came the reply as the metal hatch was swung back on its hinges to reveal the dishevelled pair, who came scrambling out of the confined space into the bright light of day.

"Next time I'm driving" I muttered as our battered group gathered a little distance away from the ruined means of transportation. "Wrex, stay here with the Lieutenant until he comes around, then head up the slope towards us, understood?" the mercenary nodded in understandings as I turned to look at what was left of my team. "You all know the mission briefing, let's move!" the order resonated around the surrounding space as we set off up the hill towards the final destination.

* * *

><p>"Oh come on!" I roared in pent-up frustration as the colossus came slamming down from the lower atmosphere like a meteorite. "Spread out!" I heard myself shouting over the wavering hail of gunfire as the enemy's rearguard came surging out from their pre-prepared strong points like a hoard of locusts.<p>

"We're being flanked!" loudly stated Williams as she caught sight of a rapidly shifting shadow that leaped into a section of overhead piping.

"Can you recognize them chief?" I bellowed as my sidearm blazed into life at the slowly encroaching opponents.

"They looked like robots to me boss, present company excluded" I grunted in an un-humorous response as a mechanical assailant was sent somersaulting backwards in a shower of white synthetic fluid.

"Vakarian, get yourself over to the opposite side of that mining machinery and give us some covering fire!" the turian snapped out an affirmative as he blew the back of a geth's head out with a well-placed round. "Everyone suppressing fire!" the remainder of my team rose as one and unleashed everything at our disposal as the blue armoured figure sprinted for the designated location; the individuals journey wasn't as uneventful as I'd hope because moments later a withering ball of plasma slammed into a nearby I-beam, melting it into a boiling pool of liquid.

"We can't move while that oversized vacuum cleaner is still standing!" angrily spat the gunnery chief as she unloaded her assault rifle into the towering attacker.

"Noted" I replied as my neural implants desperately attempted to hack its way wirelessly into the titan's central processor, it was succeeding, as the disintegrating cover clearly indicated.

"Tali, can you overload that things main cannon?" the teenager quickly glanced up from behind a shipping crate to weighed up the likelihood of success.

"I might be able to commander, but I'll need a distraction" the girl looked over at me for half a second as she realized what I was about to do.

"Cover me Williams" I muttered as my body bolted over the blackened boulder and thundered towards the ramshackle processing plant that hugged one side of the magma lake.

"Shepard!" yelled the young quarian as I dashed across the open terrain, ordinance nipping at me every step of the way; fortunately for a change lady luck was on my side and as I scrambled up and over a first floor railing my mind gave me a positive thumbs up, it didn't last as a split second later I found myself being viciously tackled to the floor by some kind of robotic assailant that I'd never seen before.

"Sod off!" I roared a my left hand wrapped itself around the front of things head and if it was made out of tissue paper crushed it in a vice like grip.

"You still alive Shepard?" shouted a concerned Vakarian as he came crawling into view below me.

"I'm fine, just keep the pressure on the colossus" I calmly ordered as I slammed in a new clip of armour piercing rounds into my pistol.

"Roger that" replied the sharpshooter as he lined up another perfect shot on his target.

"Tali, have you hacked the enemy yet?" I inquired over my internal headset.

"Almost there Commander" Came the feminine voice as the titanic opponent began to stomp ominously towards my hiding place.

"Get a move on Miss Zorah!" I shouted in authoritative tones as the intelligent gun platform began shredding the surrounding metalwork in an attempt to get to me.

"All most there…., got it!" came the deafening yell as the mechanical monstrosity reared back on its haunches as if in pain; but that mattered little to me as moments later I found myself hurtling over the railings and towards the thing's outstretched head with one arm blade drawn out; the collision partly ripped the air from my lungs but somehow I still managed to cling on for dear life as I repeatedly stabbed at the exposed undercarriage of the armoured head.

"Fucking die!" I roared as milky white synthetic blood gushed out and down my hanging form until it ran in torrents from the tips of my boots; after what felt like a millennia the towering opponent let out a one, final long screech as it toppled over onto its side with all the force of a falling redwood.

"Shepard!" came an all too familiar voice as I staggered breathlessly to my feet. "Shepard, are you all right?" nervously inquired the teenage quarian as she sprinted over towards me.

"I'm fine" I calmly replied before emptying the contents of my mouth onto the floor in one go. "God this stuff tastes foul" I muttered as Vakarian came striding over towards with the biggest grin I'd ever seen plastered across his features.

"Spirits Shepard, remind me never to get on your bad side" he quietly chuckled after saying this and I couldn't help but join in with an almost silent one of my own.

"Don't worry about it Vakarian, you wouldn't even notice" I replied as Williams passed me something to clean the remaining grime from my face.

"Has Wrex turned up yet?" I inquired in a sudden flash of recollection.

"He has" came the gruff response as the krogan came marching up over the sky ling behind use, Alenko in tow.

"Nice to see you could join us" I calmly shouted as my internal systems began to run a self-diagnostic in response to the impact.

"Didn't want you have all the fun" Chuckled the muscle mountain as he gave the ruined colossus a solid kick with his foot. "But it seems that I was too late for the best bit" the Lieutenant just stood there gob-smacked, looking at the ruined shell of the gargantuan defender.

"You missed one hell of a fight LT" smiled William sarcastically as she walk passed him. "I'll tell you about it sometime" but the light banter was quickly suppressed as myself diagnostic binged into my heads up display, it wasn't totally good news but I didn't allow the result to show as my voice began barking out orders.

"Williams, Alenko and Wrex; I want you to form a rearguard, do not allow any enemy reinforcements to get down into the dig site, understood?" I was answered by a chorus of positive yells as I turned to look at the remainder of my team.

"You two, your with me, let's move" and with that our three-man squad set into the bowels of the abandoned mining facility.

* * *

><p>"They just keep coming!" shout a frustrated Vakarian as yet another combat drone exploded in midair.<p>

"At least we know they haven't gotten to the target" I replied in steady tones.

"How do you know that?" asked the alien as the final hovering nuisance shattered into a multitude of pieces.

"Because they wouldn't be putting up such a fight" I explained as our little troupe travel towards a makeshift elevator nestled then tight to the ancient ruins that filled the surrounding space.

"These things seem ancient" whispered Tali as she gazed around the surrounding architecture.

"Stay focused" I muttered as the three of us cautiously peered over the railings and down at the floor far below. "The main excavation site will be at the base of the structure" I said as I indicated over towards the rusting metal cage that shrouded the lift system. "Get down there, double time it" I ordered as my hands began to buttoning up my coat.

"Aren't you coming Commander?" inquired the quarian, who by the tone of her voice was wearing a confused expression under that helmet.

"I'm taking the direct route." I replied with a slight hint of humour as my form disappeared from view as I jumped over the safety railings and plummeted into the empty void below.

Stale air whipped passed my face as I hurtled ever onwards towards the floor far below, fortunately for me, Synthetic Insights had taken measures to prevent such events from having a permanent outcome. WARNING UNSAFE DESCENT! The inbuilt alarm flashed across my field of vision as I plummeted into the darkness, moments later there came an all too familiar tingling sensation from my lower back as intentionally placed augments kicked into overdrive as they detected the alarming freefall; I allowed my hands to push downwards below me, palms outstretched as if to keep the rapidly approaching ground away as it screamed ever upwards, my form bent over in a crouching position and I mentally triggered the failsafe system which was screaming at the leash to be released. A blinding semi-sphere of crackling, yellow power spread out from both my hands and feet; churning waves of electromagnetic energy forcibly pushed back against the rocky floor and to such an extent that mere feet from the final destination I landed with the impact of a lonely leaf, if you ignored the smouldering indentation in the volcanic floor.

"I never get bored of that" I whispered as my inbuilt sensors picked up the unmistakable readings of another life form on the same level as my own. "There you are" I thundered across the cracking ground as a shimmering blue field homed into view, all the time my neural implants were continuously picking up ever-increasing power levels and it did little to reassure my fears as I vaulted over a mound of crumbling masonry to come face to face with a blue skinned woman.

"Er, can you help me, I'm trapped, I need help" I paused briefly to look over the young asari scientist in front of me, she seemed frightened and flustered, but at the same time there was an almost unmistakable similarity with someone that he'd once known.

"You're Liara T'soni?" I asked.

"Yes, but how…." But the woman's nervous tone was interrupted by my continued questioning.

"Only daughter of Matriarch Benezia?" this sudden revelation of personal details by an unknown individual obviously put the scientist on edge as she began to sweat profusely in the cool air.

"What do you want?" she whispered quietly.

"You may have vital information linked to recent galactic events, I been sent by the Citadel Council to retrieve you and transport you to a secure location" a slight flash of hope spread across the female figures face as she heard this.

"Thank the goddess! I didn't think anyone would come looking for me" the sound of a rumbling elevator heralded the arrival of the rest of his team as she continues talking. "Listen, this thing I am in is a Prothean security field, I can't move, so I need you to get me out of it, can you do that?" I raised a hand to silence her before speaking.

"How did you get yourself into this mess?" I inquired as my neural implants picked up the tell-tale noise of pattering feet as his alien associates scrambled into view.

"I knew that it would protect me when the geth arrived, but when I turned it on I must of touched something I shouldn't have, because I found myself trapped in the second field" as she was speaking I began to run a deep scan using my omni-tool, trying to find a weakness in the glowing wall in front of him.

"My advice, don't mess with tech that you don't understand" an almost embarrassed expression spread across the archaeologists face as she heard this.

"I can see your point Sir" stammered the woman as glanced in my general direction. "I would apologize for this inconvenience, but I don't know your name" the polite request caught me off guard as I silently contemplated the potential outcomes of revealing my identity, unfortunately time wasn't on my side as the metallic sounds echoing throughout the cavern clearly indicated the unwanted reappearance of the robotic assailants.

"Shepard, Commander Shepard." came my quiet reply as I watched for any hint of recognition.

"A pleasure to meet you Commander" Said the asari in a blissfully unaware greeting as she looked to her right as more shadows reached out across the floor towards me.

"Are you alright Shepard?" spluttered Tali in breathless concern as she dropped in from a half destroyed upper level.

"I'm fine, what took you so long?" I calmly demanded as my teenage associate began to fidget with uncomfortable under the weight of the question, fortunately for her she didn't need to think of a reply as Vakarian came scrambling down next to her.

"We can't all be as flashy as you commander" sarcastically stated the turian as he glanced over at the temporary trapped scientist in front of me. "The good doctor I presume" he asked.

"Affirmative" I coldly replied as my heads up display flashed a warning. "But we can talk about specifics later, we've got company" even before the words had totally left my mouth a withering hail of mass effect rounds came slamming into the surrounding stonework with lethal intent.

"Roger that!" shouted the male alien as pulled a sniper rifle from his back and in a flawless motion nailed a geth trooper right in the centre of its visual optics.

"Nice shoot" I replied as my pistol roared into life and in an impressive show of accuracy I managed to shatter an enemy sniper, who was caught attempting to relocate between cover.

"RPG!" I remember Tali screaming as a sudden explosion ripped through the surrounding landscape; the world flipped and I found myself being viciously thrown over a nearby set of railings.

"Shepard!" Screamed the quarian as I slammed into the rock floor, some distance below.

"Give him covering fire" Roared Vakarian as he blasted away at the advancing enemy vanguard; as this was happening I desperately attempted to return fire from my prone position on my back as the glowing rounds began cutting into the scenery surrounding me.

"You alive Commander?" frantically inquired the turian as he dashed to a better advantage point.

"I won't be if you don't deal with that rocket trooper!" I snapped in frustration as another churning missile thundered overhead, fortunately for everyone it slammed into the glowing energy shield that was covering the good doctor, the C-Sec Officer didn't allow the perpetrator to get of another one as he drilled two body breaking shots into the constructed chest.

"Scoped and dropped!" shouted the alien in relieved excitement.

"Stay focused" I coldly instructed as my firearm spat fire at the remaining enemies, the first burst brought the last two storm troopers' to their knees and the follow up quickly put pay to them.

"Shut it out if you're hurt!" I stated as I attempted to get my feet, at that point my mind recognized that something was wrong as I collapsed back down in a heap.

"God damn it!" I muttered in frustration as my mouth started to fill up with the metallic taste of copper, only this time it was laced with the unmistakable hint of robotic fluid and understandably it wasn't particularly pleasant.

"Shepard what's wrong?" Asked Tali in nervous tones as she practically flew down a rusty set of stairs that were tucked into the corner of the structure.

"Something's wrong with one of my prosthetic arms" I grumbled as the woman help me to my feet.

"Which one?" She asked in a professional air.

"The right one" moments later I caught sight of a sudden, metallic gleam as the girl whipped out a knife and calmly preceded to remove my shredded coat sleeve that was saturated by a sea of oily fluid.

"Mind my coat" I grumbled, but the argument disintegrated under the withering glare that was shot in my immediate direction from behind the tinted glass in the girl's helmet.

"You cracked the joint housing in your upper arm Commander" she explained as I felt her hand calmly removing a piece of broken casing that shielded the back of my robotic shoulder. "I've sealed the leak but your right limb is going to be sluggish and I wouldn't recommend to many sudden movements until we get back to the Normandy and get it checked out by doctor Chakwas" I nodded in silent understanding, time seemed to tick by at a soul shatteringly slow place as I flexed my robotic hand, glancing up from my self-analysis I caught sight of the teenager standing around uncomfortably as the individual's focused energy seemed to have abandoned her.

"Nice work" I quietly stated as both of us heard the sound of our approaching companion.

"Thank you Commander" whispered the woman in a happy voice as the turian homed into view.

"Is the doctor still ok?" I inquired in an authoritative tone, the man nodded as he drew level.

"She's seems to be suffering from dehydration, spirits knows how she long been down here" I didn't like the sound of that, asari weren't the most physically robust species and when they started to deteriorate their condition could worsen at an alarming rate.

"We need to get into that structure" I stated to my companions as we set off in the direction of an abandoned mining camp. "Keep an eye out for explosives or excavation equipment, anything we can use" it didn't take long to find what we were looking for; set off to one side was a massive, mining laser, seemingly abandoned when the original operation had shut down, or been killed off.

"Tali, see if you can get that thing working" I ordered as my hand quietly indicated for Vakarian to fall in behind me as we walked further into the deserted encampment.

"What's up Commander?" asked Garrus as he noticed the silent undercurrent that was running between them.

"I don't want the asset to know that I met her mother" I instructed as we began pacing backwards and forwards. "Keep an eye on Miss Zorah, make sure that she doesn't say anything that could cause trouble, understand?" the turian nodded silently in agreement as a sudden, deafening roar echoed throughout the rocky cavern. "Looks like the girl got the thing working" I grumbled as we stomped back over towards her. "Is it ready to go?" I inquired over the shuddering din that surrounded us.

"Just setting it to maximum charge Commander, just give the order and we'll break on through" I patted the quarian on the shoulder as she said this.

"Good work" I glanced over at my other subordinate just to make sure that he was ready and when I was satisfied my voice echoed throughout the surrounding space. "Do it!" the machinery thundered into the highest setting as the teenage alien's hands danced over the controls, moments later a blinding red beam of energy flashed out from the mouth of the industrial unit.

"Brake through in ten seconds!" Yelled Tali in excited hysteria as the stony landscape shuddered under the force of the piercing impact. "Five seconds!" a large, ominous crack began to spread across the cave floor with every passing moment. "Two seconds!" there was a sudden, vicious exhaling of atmosphere as fresh air was sucked into sealed structure. "We're in!" Shouted the teenager as she hastily switched off the shuddering contraption next to her.

"Get moving!" I roared as a soul shattering tremor shook the entire area, sending dust and debris hurtling down all around us.

"Spirits, what was that?" spluttered Garrus as he staggered back up to his feet.

"Shut up and run!" I ordered in forceful tones as the three of us sprinted madly for the newly added entrance, crumbling masonry flashed by as we hurtle ever onwards into the abandoned facility. "We need to get up to the next level!" I snapped as a second, unwelcome vibration rocked the building to its foundations.

"Seismic activity is increasing Commander" Stated Tali over her head set.

"I noticed" I replied in an unimpressed voice as we stumbled upon something that looked like an elevator. "Looks like this is our ticket up" I muttered as my visual implants began picking up faded characters on the central panel, but what was slightly unsettling was the fact that I found myself being able to understand what the console was softly indicating, in it faded screen.

"Is everything ok commander?" Asked Vakarain in somewhat concerned voice, as he noticed my sudden silence.

"Just think" I quietly replied as I pushed this new revelation to one side as my mind refocused on the task at hand. "Everyone on board?" the question was answered by a chorus of yeses as moments later I found myself pushing the activation icon, in a split-second the glass floor began to rise ever upwards into the sky; time seemed to slow for what felt like an eternity until it came to a gentle halt on the level above.

"Doctor T'soni, can you hear me?" I loudly enquired as we marched off the platform.

"How, how did you get in here, I didn't think there was any way past the barrier curtain" the three of us all glanced at each other in disbelief before I replied.

"We blasted through using a mining laser, you must of felt it" the scientist blushed a deep blue as she heard this.

"So that's what it was, I should've guessed" I didn't allow her to continue as my hands began to dart backwards and forwards over the nearby security terminal. "You know what you're doing right?" nervously asked the asari as she watched readings fly across the holographic screen at frightening speed.

"Do you?" I coldly snapped in frustration at being interrupted. "Just shut up and let me work" this seemed to have the intended effect for the figure in front of me fell silent, it paid dividends for moments later the shimmering blue bubble that surrounded the trapped asset vanished in a invisible wave of energy. "Move" I firmly ordered to everyone as an even stronger tremor (if that was at all possible) sent dustbin sized rubble raining down the central shaft of the complex, both me and Garrus manhandled the weakened scientist towards the elevator, just as my internal heads up display began flashing warnings about toxic gas as the volcanic activity shifted into overdrive. "Flight Lieutenant, we need immediate extraction!"

"Roger that Commander" replied the disembodied voice of the pilot.

"Sulphur levels are increasing Commander" shouted Tali over the intimidating roar of flowing magma which could just be seen working its way up through the rocky foundation.

"Tell me something I don't know Miss Zorah!" I snapped as the lift rocketed skywards.

"I'm picking half a dozen geth signals directly above us in the main chamber" replied the girl in professional tones; I cursed under my breath as I caught site of the readings coming off my personal radar.

"Heads up people" I grumbled as the familiar weight of the firearm found its way into my hand, as the floor reached its final destination my team were confronted with the unwelcome site of an enemy fire team being led by an extremely unpleasant looking Krogan, the blue colour on his cranial plates marking him as a younger member of the race.

"Surrender. Or don't, that'll be more fun" growled the towering monster as he pulled a shotgun from its resting place; mentally I made a note to dock Wrex's pay when all of this was over, as I silently gave my reply in a hail of enraged gunfire.

"Take them down!" shouted the unusual assassin as he began directing the geth into the surrounding cover.

"Focus on the support!" I calmly ordered as I glanced over at the asset, who had deployed a personnel biotic field around themselves "I'll take care of the leader" moments later I quietly regretted that statement as a sudden blur of blue energy clearly indicated that this particular opponent was a skilled biotic user; not someone I particularly liked fighting but when needs must. "Is that all you got!" I taunted as the muscular assailant began to advancing across the open ground towards me.

"You're dead human" spat the alien as he emptied his weapon into the scant cover that I was currently hiding behind.

"You first" I coldly replied as my feet carried me over the metal support and towards the lumbering opponent; understandably the krogan was taken aback by the sudden headlong assault, it didn't normally happen to him, but he was going to complain as the glowing ball of energy clearly indicated; I dropped to one knee and slid the remaining distance across the floor, weapon blazing.

"Weakling!" snarled the mercenary as he attempted to slam an elbow into my left temple, unfortunately for him he'd hadn't realized that I was heavily augmented and the mistake cost him badly as my right hand managed to bring the attack to a shuddering halt with minimal effort.

"To bad" I whispered as my left foot slammed into an exposed kneecap, there was a satisfying snap as the tree trunk thick limb bent sideways at an odd angle, continuing the brutal assault I reached out with my left hand and dislocated the monster's jaw in one, fluid motion. "End of the line" I quietly stated as the right arm blade slid backwards so that it was pointed towards the ceiling, moments later the weapon was brought slamming down in a vicious elbow strike that forced the close combat weapon clean through the opponent's brain and out the over side.

"Commander!" Vakarian familiar voice snapped me back out of my closed bubble as a round buzzed past my head like an earth insect.

"God damn it!" I muttered as my shield began to be noticeably depleted by the surrounding enemies, fortunately my subordinates didn't hesitate to come to my support and within a few moments the remaining opposition was quickly dispatched.

"We need to move!" shouted Tali as the entire structure began to disintegrate around our ears.

"Get the doctor out of here!" I ordered as our little group hurtled up the twisting passageway towards the action, ever single step that brought us closer towards freedom brought more fragmentation masonry thundering down. "Move!"

* * *

><p>"We've received your report Commander, I understand Dr. T'soni is on the Normandy" stated the asari councillor as their hovering holographic images appeared in the briefing room on board my ship.<p>

"I assume that you're taking all the necessary security precautions?" demanded the turian representative, who was still obviously unhappy about my appointment.

"I'm an experienced company agent councillor, I know how to handle a single scientist" I coldly retorted as I felt my professional pride flare up, at that moment the asari councillor decided to interrupt so as to continue the flow of the conversation without losing focus.

"We realize that Commander, my associate was simply offering some free advice" at that point the turian forced his way back into the discussion.

"It's up to you if you're smart enough to listen" snapped the alien in smug tones, at this point I was starting to become silently frustrated with the debriefing, but nearly a decade of corporate training allowed me to hold my tongue and continue talking.

"Noted" I whispered "But privately I don't think she'll go running to Saren anytime soon, not after he sent his hit squad after her"

"Benezia would never allow Saren to kill her daughter" quickly stated the asari representative in a determined voice.

"And I totally agree with you councillor" I replied in respectful tones. "But the matriarch's behaviour of late has been uncharacteristically erratic to say the least and we can't rule anything out at this point" the Salarian bureaucrat detected the subtle undertones hidden in the statement.

"You've meet the matriarch Commander?" asked the council member in calm manner.

"Synthetic Insights had business dealings with her in the past, I meet her once about four years ago on Thessia" this revelation caused a number of raised eyebrows or the equivalent from those who didn't have them.

"I hadn't realized you had such a connection to her Commander" said the asari with a slightly surprised note.

"Does the doctor know?" inquired the turain councillor in a slightly concerned voice.

"I'm keeping this information concealed from her at the moment" I calmly replied. "I want to be able to keep total control of the target without them thinking that I'm silently on their side" the bureaucratic trio exchanged glances before continuing.

"That seems wish considering what the likely outcome of a confrontation between you and her mother would be" muttered the Salarian quietly.

"On the topic of the Doctor, Councillors' I was wondering how far you would want me to go to extract the information?" a quiet silence crept into the room as I said this.

"Our information clearly indicates that the young doctor isn't connected in any way with the target" explained the invertebrate bureaucrat as he continued talking. "And due to her young age we can't recommend using forceful techniques" at that point the turain representative interrupted once more.

"But if you think that our information is incorrect and the good doctor is holding back critical information then take the necessary steps required" coldly stated the calculating politician.

"I'll do what is necessary councillor" I calmly replied as the ghostly figures vanished from view. "No matter what it takes" I whispered to the surrounding empty space, time ticked by as my mind began to think out a clear game plan, when that failed I just decided to debrief the asset personally and get it over and done with. "Navigator Pressly, is Doctor T'soni still being looked over by the ship's physician?" the disembodied voice of my XO came echoing out over the rooms internal speakers.

"Doctor Chakwas has nearly finished Commander"

"Is she being guarded?" there was a slight pause as I said the question. "Well, is she?" I demanded.

"Doctor Chakwas wouldn't allow the Marines into the medical bay while she was conducting the examinations, they're on standby outside the front entrance and I've locked the rear exit" I openly cursed as I walked quickly towards my private cabin.

"I want her escorted to my cabin for a formal interrogation, I don't want to be disturbed, am I clear?" it wasn't really a question and both participants knew this.

"Crystal Sir" replied the officer as he dropped off the line, as I waited in the quiet stillness of the new accommodation I allowed my mind to collect itself for the task at hand, in all likelihood it wouldn't likely come to physical pressuring, the good doctor was young, especially for an asari in such a specialized position and that could be used to my advantage; that combined with the fact that she was obviously concerned for her mother's safety should allow me to extract the necessary information, while using the minimum level of force.

"Commander" the sudden interruption into the silent interior clearly heralded the arrival of my reluctance visitor.

"Yes?" I replied.

"We've brought Doctor T'soni as ordered Sir" explained the unseen soldier as I buzzed them into the room.

"Wait outside" I quietly stated as the Marines hastily vanished from view, turning I glanced over at the blue skinned individual who stood rigid in a corner of the room. "Please have a seat" I politely instructed as the two of us took up our allotted roles, one the interrogator, and one the interrogated. "You don't need to be alarmed Doctor T'soni, this is just a standard interview, I hope you understand" the woman seemed to only partly believe this as I continued the questioning. "Your name please, for the record" I asked as I began tapping away on a personal data tablet.

"Doctor Liara T'soni" nervously replied the asari, who began to fidget under my piercing stare.

"Your age please?"

"I'm one hundred and six as of last month" embarrassing whispered the Doctor, as I heard this I decided to quickly change track to see if I could flush out some useful information.

"Isn't that quite young for an asari? If I recall that's barely into the maiden phase and yet you're a noted Prothean expert" the figure in front of me turned a deep shade of indigo as she spluttered out a reply.

"I'm not what you would call a people person, I prefer the company of books or research to socializing, which as lead me to advance in my chosen field more rapidly than was anticipated" the woman paused before briefly continuing, wringing her hands nervously. "As a result my theories have not received the attention that they warrant due the perceived lack of experience from my peers" I silently nodded as my right hand jotted all of this down.

"Individuals tend to assume that age is directly linked to the amount of knowledge that one has acquired." I brushed the idea aside with the back of my hand. "Which has been shown to be fundamentally flawed" a long pause followed after this particular proclamation. "But that isn't important at the moment" I began flicking through the remaining questions. "Please state you mother's full name" once more there was a slight hesitation before the woman replied.

"Benezia T'soni"

"Your father's full name please" as soon as the question was asked there was a deafening quietness that descended onto the entire proceedings.

"I don't know their name" whispered the doctor in sad recollection.

"My apologies," I replied in an uncaring tone. "Do you know their species perhaps?"

"Asari, my father's was an asari" came the slightly embarrassed answer from the feminine alien; I raised an eyebrow when I heard this before replying.

"A same species relationship, that's rather unusual nowadays." I stated, unsurprisingly the individual in front of me was obviously uncomfortable by her particular nature.

"It's rather frowned upon by my people in this era of genetic diversity." She muttered.

"You don't have to explain to me Miss, I know why it is discouraged from a genetic perspective, Ardat-Yakshi and all" I continued talking as if I were out on a morning stroll. "The racial stigma on the other hand is completely pointless and is a total waste of time as well as effort for all involved." my sudden explanation of a complicated species' issues took the over party totally by surprise.

"I didn't realize that you we're so well versed in my peoples culture Commander." embarrassingly spluttered the young asari as nervously glanced around the room.

"I used to go to Thessia quite often, it helps to read around the places that you visit." after saying this I allowed my mind to slowly shift over towards a more serious task as I got down to the real part of the interrogation.

"Why do you think Saren Arterius would take an interest in you?" I clinically asked as my eyes never left hers.

"I don't know, as I said my main area of expertise is in the prothean extinction, it doesn't make any sense." as I heard this, my mind was drawn back to a single word in the audio recording that the target had been focused on.

"Do you know what the Conduit is?" I asked in a calm manner, attempting not to draw too much attention to the question.

"How do you?" started to reply the shocked woman, but remembering the importance of the discussion she restrained her professional interest before getting back on track. "Never mind, yes, I know about the Conduit, it was somehow linked to the prothean extinction, but that's about all I know." this revelation immediately caught my attention as a number of little things started to come together to make a hole.

"That's probably the reason why you were targeted, so as to prevent anyone from understanding what is going on." I glanced back down at my data pad as I continued talking.

"Have you been in contact with the matriarch in the last month?" there was a sad paused before she replied.

"I haven't talked to my mother in several years."

"But she would know about you expertise?" I inquired calmly, attempting not to suggest anything that could spook the asset.

"Of course." said the doctor, who was becoming noticeably uneasy.

"Is there anything that could explain your mother's recent decisions, does she have a history of mental illness?" a flash of indignation spread across the woman's face as she heard this.

"My mother isn't crazy!" the asari quickly stated as she came to the defence of the parent. "I know her and this isn't like her." I had to silently agree with the young figure, the person that I'd meet all those years ago was someone who never did things without carefully calculating the potential outcomes and never took hasty risks; which was the exact opposite of what was going on around me.

"I don't think there is anything else that I need to ask you, doctor T'soni, we'll drop you off at the citadel sometime tomorrow, until then please make yourself at home on the crew deck." as I rose to show her out an idea must have entered the scientist head because moments later she nervously caught to attract my attention. "Yes doctor?" I said as my hand hovered over the door release.

"Can I make a suggestion Commander?" I turned around to look at her.

"I'm listening." the woman became even more uncomfortable as she attempted to vocalize her idea aloud and to the intended audience.

"It's obvious that you have information that can't be revealed, but in the given situation I was wondering if you would be willing to allow me to remain on board so that I could provide some assistance if needed." I allowed the idea to float around inside my brain; the doctor was a skilled biotic, which was always useful in combat situations, that particular lesson had been taught to me the hard way early on in my professional career.

"I'll consider your request doctor T'soni; in the meantime we're heading back towards the citadel, you'll have your answer by the time we're docked. And with that I ushered the timid individual out into the empty crew deck and calmly closed shut the metallic door.

"We're thirty minutes out from the citadel Commander." stated the pilot's voice as I walked quickly over towards the cargo bay elevator.

"Roger that Flight Lieutenant, informing me when the Normandy docks" the formless voice snapped out a clear response before disappearing; five minutes later the lift came to a shuddering halt on the bottom deck of the ship.

"Wrex we need to talk" I coldly ordered as the towering mountain of muscle homed into view.

"Sure thing Shepard" grumbled the alien as the two of us found a quiet corner to have a quiet discussion without being interrupted.

"I want your professional opinion on the good doctor" I calmly whispered as I dragged the all too familiar hip flask out of a coat pocket.

"Can't come to you own conclusion agent?" chuckled the krogan as he eyed the offered container.

"I've already made up my mind, but it never hurts to get a second opinion." I replied as moments later the half empty flask was handed back to me.

"And here's me thinking that you're going soft." snorted the mercenary before he continued talking. "The young asari seems a bit naïve, but then so does that turian idiot that you brought along" the towering individual glanced over at Garrus as he said this. "But her biotics will come in handy when the fighting starts, if you intend to let her stay." stated Wrex in a knowing tone.

"Keep that to yourself Wrex, I could do without the Gunnery chief having another fit because I bought another alien aboard." I downed what was left in the metal container and turned to leave before pausing to let out a clear comment. "Keep an eye on the doctor when you can, I don't want her loyalty to the matriarch to compromise the security of the mission." an all too uncomfortable expression spread across the mercenary face as he heard this.

"And if she does?" he coldly asked.

"Then you know what to do." I replied as I strolled back across the room towards the soul shatteringly slow elevator.

* * *

><p><strong>(Thank you for reading this, I hope you liked it)<strong>

**(Please review, both myself and my proof reader like to know that our hard work is appreciated)**

**(Chapter nine should be on the way soon)**

**(Sincerly Gods-own)**


	9. Chapter 9: A cold reality

**(Here is chapter 9, I hope everyone likes this one)**

**(if you do let me know, if you don't let me know, it always nice to get comments)**

**(Sincerly Gods-own)**

**Chapter 9: A cold reality **

"Commander, I need to have a look at that shoulder injury, now get on that table before I make you sit there." forcibly stated doctor Chakwas as I walked quickly across the mess towards my private quarters, the tone in the woman's voice clearly indicated that the point wasn't up for discussion.

"Alright doctor, alright." I sighed as a dull ache began to filter throughout my body as I began to slow down.

"Don't 'alright' me Commander" stated the gray haired woman as she practically dragged me over the threshold and onto a neatly made med bed. "Coat, shirt and cuirass, off and over their please Agent." the use of my corporate title slightly took me by surprise but the shock quickly vanished as I realised that my slowness would only end in the good doctor forcibly stripping me out of my own clothes as the scowl playing across her face clearly indicated.

"Didn't realize you had a thing for men with prosthetics Doctor." I sarcastically replied as my top half became bare to the surrounding space, unfortunately the professional physician didn't seem to take too kindly to the comment as the ice cold pair of hand grasping at my sides pointedly implied.

"Say if this hurts." stated the woman as she coolly proceeded to move up one side of my rib cage and down the over.

"Stop" I grunted as the dull throbbing was suddenly replaced by a flash of pain that thundered throughout my figure; the doctor's hands effortlessly slow down as she gently began to feel the surrounding area with her fingertips.

"You've fractured your seventh, eighth and ninth ribs on your right side Commander" Chakwas said as she began to pull a nasty looking syringe out of its hermetically sealed packaging. "I'm going to inject medi-gel into the surrounding area, it will help speed up the healing process." a sharp, short sting followed the statement as the metal needle bit into my skin.

"Easy damn it, that part is still _very_ organic" I hissed as the cold contents of the syringe seeped into the affected region.

"Don't be such a baby Commander" calmly replied the female figure as she cleaned the minuscule entry hole with an antiseptic to prevent infection. "It doesn't suit you." I began muttering quietly as my clothing found its way back onto my scarred form.

"What was that Commander?" asked the woman as she allowed a small smile to play across her face.

"I said that it was lucky that you're such a good physician, otherwise we'd have a problem" I retorted as my feet quickly carried me out of the med bay and back into the bustling commotion that had engulfed the crew deck.

"What's going on Alenko?" I demanded as I caught sight of the hastening officer as he began rummaging around inside a footlocker.

"A sorry sir, I didn't see you there" spluttered the Lieutenant as he jerked his head out of the locker. "Joker just brought us into port and, understandably, everyone is very excited to be off and doing things with their leave" I raised an eyebrow.

"Joker?" I coldly inquired.

"I mean flight lieutenant Moreau sir, Joker is his nickname, said he picked it up in flight school" my mind tided this information away for a later as I reached a hand up to my earpiece.

"Moreau!" I heard a sudden flurry of swearing as the unseen pilot quickly dragged his headset back on over his head.

"Sir?" hastily spluttered the Flight Lieutenant as he slipped back into a professional state of mind.

"Patch me through to the entire ship."

"Aye Commander" replied the disembodied voice as there came a short burst of static from the internal speakers as I cleared my voice.

"Now hear this, this is your commander speaking, we are currently docked at the citadel, as such you will be entitled to twenty four hours shore leave." there came a chorus of roaring shouts as the words left my mouth. "I don't care what you get up to as long as I don't have to clear up the mess. That means don't get arrested." I continued speaking as the surrounding bustle increased in speed if that was at all possible. "But let me make this completely clear" my tone took on a hard edge. "if you're not back on board at oh-seven hundred you will be left behind and be marked down as absent without leave with the associated punishments that comes with it, am I clear?" the loud shouts of confirmation that reverberate throughout the narrow space clearly indicated that everyone had caught the point of the order. "Dismissed" I quietly stated as I moved back towards the empty captain's quarters.

* * *

><p><span>Five hours later:<span>

One of the main doors to the command deck split open as I walked purposefully towards the airlock.

"Heading out Commander?" asked the unmistakable voice of the chief helmsman as he carefully extracted himself from his chair and grabbed his crutches, still in an immaculate navy uniform.

"I gave everyone twenty-four hours leave Flight Lieutenant, so why are you still here?" the question didn't seem to take the man by surprise as he turned his attention back to the holographic screens that surrounded him.

"I don't like crowds" retorted the pilot with a noticeable hint of bitterness in his voice, but I never really cared about people's personal feelings, it wasn't something that was especially required in my line of work, so I just kept talking.

"So people call you Joker I hear" I could have sworn the helmsman's face took on an unpleasant grimace as he heard me make the statement.

"It's shorter than saying Alliance Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau" he glanced over at me as he continued talking. "Although some long winded people don't seem to mind that." the man allowed a sarcastic remark to slip from his lips as the nearest screen lit up for half a moment. "Besides I love to make little children laugh"

"Yeah because I was just thinking how much you remind me of Santa Claus" I retorted in quiet tones, the pilot snapped his head around.

"Look I didn't pick the name." I brushed the remark aside with a wave of my hand.

"No kidding, because no one in their right mind would call themselves after a character from a century old comic book series" the helmsman was wearing a particularly annoyed, if not downright angry expression as he rose from the flight seat to restarted his explanation.

"One of the instructors in flight school used to bug me about never smiling, she started calling me joker and the name stuck." He carefully returned to his chair so that the two of us were no longer looking at each other. "So now you know." muttered the figure as he got back to the task at hand, as I began to leave I allowed myself to snap off a cutting remark.

"Do you think I care officer" the pilot glanced over as I said this. "I'm fully aware of your condition and truthfully it doesn't mean a thing to me, you're here because you graduated top of your class in flight school and you have more recommendations then Captain Anderson has medals, as long as you can keep this ship from being blown to pieces you could be a total pervert and peep at people in the showers" I slowly pushed my sunglasses back up my nose as I continued talking "As long as isn't me your looking at I still wouldn't give a damn" and with that I walked steadily through into the decontamination chamber, leaving the pilot to stew in his anger or whatever it was he felt toward me.

* * *

><p>"Good morning agent" greeted the asari receptionist as I walked through the front door of the citadel branch of Synthetic Insights.<p>

"I'm going down to the main R&D floor, buzz me through" I calmly stated as my left hand typed in the access code for the main elevator.

"It's already been taken care of agent Andrew, your request has already been forwarded to our technicians; they'll be waiting for you in the central lab on the third sub-level." I nodded in understanding as the metallic doors slid shut in front of me and I found myself hurtling downwards into the bowels of the complex, moments later the platform came to a gentle halt as it deposited me at my desired destination.

"Access chip required." stated an artificial voice as the labs VI security system kicked into over drive; I placed my right hand up into a small recess in the nearest wall. After a split second there came a slight glow as the internal machinery began to read the complex levels of ID software implanted into the metallic prosthetic.

"Welcome agent Andrew" said the invisible voice as the blast proof doors pulled back to reveal a totally unexpected individual standing a few meters away from me.

"Took your sweet time" greeted Cedric'Dolan, Synthetic Insights head of research.

"Didn't expect to see you here Cedric" I calmly replied as the two of us began walking through the restricted area.

"Well the boss had this crazy idea that you might need some assistance during your joy ride through the Traverse" retorted the male quarian in a satirical tone as he caught sight of the sleeveless right arm. "I couldn't imagine where he got that assumption from." I began muttering under my breath as I heard this.

"Laugh it up man, laugh it up" I grumbled as we marched into the main robotics laboratory. "Just remember who can break you in half if he wants to" but the empty threat didn't really seem to faze the professional, who seemed to smile behind the darkened mask as he began pulling unbearably complicated items of technology out of an atmospherically sealed drawer.

"At least your social skills haven't been damaged by all your socializing." chuckled the engineer as he dragged a blank data pad out of lab coat pocket. "So what can I do you for?" the man asked as I hopped up onto a waiting examination table.

"I need a new right shoulder joint seal, new casing, oh and a replacement sleeve of my nano filament overcoat" the researcher looked up at the exposed prosthetic as I said this.

"I couldn't have guessed." muttered the suited individual as he indicated for me to remove most of my attire. "I'll send the damaged clothing down to the second tech lab; they'll have it fixed by the time you'll want to leave" the quarian ran the ragged edge of the material through his fingers as he continued talking. "Pretty neat job this, what happened; you get attacked by an angry tailor?" I gave the man a particularly impolite gesture.

"You're in a good mood." I stated as my colleague began examining the broken robotic limb.

"I should be, the company doesn't like me leaving headquarters too often, I'm too much of a valuable resource to be lost, and so getting to come to the Citadel branch office is like a holiday" I snorted in disbelief before replying.

"You make it sound like you're a prisoner or something Cedric" I flexed the weakened hand to make sure that the nerve signals were still getting through. "And if I remember correctly prisoners don't go out every morning for dextro amino-doughnuts" the engineer let out a small chuckle as he pulled apart the expert repair that Tali had put in place.

"What can I say; a man can't live on nutrient paste alone. Well, technically quarians can but we'd prefer not to." but the pleasant banter was interrupted by a flash of pain that shot through one side of my brain.

"Watch what you're doing Dolan!" I snapped as I flexed the offending joint.

"The damage is more severe than I originally expected" stated the research as he completely ignored my comment. "You've got a hair line fracture in the ball section of the glenohumeral joint, I'm going to have to replace the whole arm." it was obvious that I didn't like the idea to much, but such things were all part of the course for an augmented individual such as myself.

"I'll need an identical replica, otherwise I'll be out of balance when it comes to weight distribution" I explained as the two of us walked over towards the vertical repair system that was tucked into a corner of the laboratory; the machine looked like something out of a science fiction authors wet dream, four long, slender robotic limbs hang down, one in each corner so that they could have total access to the subject; fortunately for him the designers had but a stationary back brace into the design so that the long waits didn't put undue pressure on his contact points.

"I'm going to deactivate the nerve ending receptors in your right shoulder, don't be alarmed with the loss of response, this won't take a moment" I'd heard that line so often that I could quote it perfectly from memory, but the sudden loss of movement in a section of my body never ceased to be uncomfortable and an unwanted reminder of what I'd become.

"Before we start I better tell you that I'm not going to give you an identical replacement for your damaged prosthetic" I glanced down at the research as he strapped me into the machine.

"Why not?" I forcefully demanded as a lab technician suddenly materialized next to me pushing a trolley laden down with gleaming hardware.

"In all honesty agent I've been wanting to replace your standard hardware for about two months now, but the chairman kept on turning down my requests, he said that I needed to do more tests before I could put them into production and pass them along to you." I felt an uncomfortable feeling trickle down my spine as I heard this.

"And you did test them, right Cedric?" I nervously muttered.

"I'm a professional Andrew and your friend; I wouldn't attach tech onto you if I wasn't totally sure about its functionality" Half a second after he said this I could have sworn that he muttered under his breath "Most of the time" but let the remark slide as the quiet, keening note heralded the awakening of the surrounding machinery as my colleague linked the software into his personal Omni-tool.

"Don't move" clearly stated the specialist as he brought one of the robotic arms down in front of my face "This will be over before you know it"

Time seemed to slip by as the whirling equipment quickly and quietly removed my failing prosthesis in a shower of orange sparks as the laser cutter rotated around the damaged joint.

"It's nearly done Andrew, just give me a few more minutes and we'll have a matching set" calmly stated the engineer as he effortlessly guided the four arms that moved all around me as if they had a life of their own.

"What do the new prosthetics look like?" I quietly enquired, the technician quickly held up one of the plastic wrapped limbs, the normally matte black finish had been removed and replaced with a noticeably duller gleam.

"Before you ask, I had to use a different kind of casing, that's why it looks different" I ran my eyes over the metallic appendage, it was definitely more refined than the previous model and more muscular.

"What's the strength output of these things?" I asked in a professional tone as the first one was meticulously pushed into place in the awaiting shoulder socket.

"About three times of the previous unit, even more so when you turn off the limiters, which I don't recommend unless the situation absolutely calls for it" the research removed a small green tube from its atmospherically sealed packet as he continued talking. "I'm going to raise your left shoulder blade, so stay still and don't move your new arm until I say so" I remained silent as I felt that particular piece of machinery be lifted ever so slightly as the cylinder was slotted into place in a reinforced spot. "You know what I'm going to say Andrew" said Cedric as he did a quick scan. "This mixture is a more concentrated variant of the battle stimulant that you normally use in encounters, it will only be released when you remove the inbuilt limiters on your physical augmentations; it is extremely potent and I recommend extreme caution when deciding the appropriate time to use it" it was a speech that I'd heard a million times before but it was one that I always took notice of it because of the potential side-effects of the injection.

"Until you're fully acclimatized to the new prosthetic I wouldn't recommend going into full battle mode"

"Noted" I replied as the remaining prosthetic was bushed into with a subtle pop, moments later the brand-new casing was clipped around the exposed machinery so that once more I found myself made whole and ready to go.

"I'm going to reconnect your nerve endings, you will feel a sharp pain" stated the quarian as he pressed the Omni-tool onto the right robotic shoulder, a sudden flash of burn tinkling spread throughout my body, which was quickly replaced by a cold sensation as the inbuilt medi-glee dispenser kicked in. "Try moving your arms please" requested the man as he took a step back slowly, I brought my metallic elbows up to ear level and then stretched out both limbs skywards before slowly wriggling all ten fingers. "All seems good agent, you can step down now" stated the research as I calmly unbuckled myself from the back brace and stepped down onto the surrounding tiled floor.

"Cedric can I ask you something?" the researcher glanced up from the glowing data pad."Does the name Zorah mean anything to you?" my friend paused briefly in obvious recollection as he searched his memory.

"The only Zorah I know of is Rael'Zorah a member of the Admiralty board, why?" this revelation caused me a moment of surprise before I replied.

"I picked up a new quarian engineer; she's working on the Normandy at the moment, her name is Tali'Zorah" my associate tilted his head ever so slightly to one side as he heard this.

"She could be his daughter, I haven't been back to the fleet in nearly two decades so I couldn't really say for sure" we both paused for half a second.

"God has it been that long since you and I became friends?" I whispered as my mind began to drift ever backwards into the murky corridors of the past.

"Nearly that long, remember I meet you about a year after leaving the flotilla" the remark caused distant memories, long since forgotten to rise once more to the surface.

* * *

><p>"<em>I don't want your help!" I roared angrily as my figure lay crumpled on the floor of the rehab centre as I desperately attempted to relearn how to walk using these new, gleaming metallic limbs.<em>

"_But..." spluttered a company nurse in nervous tones as she made tentative movements towards me; a move which was swiftly halted by a water bottle thundering into a nearby wall, mere millimetres away from the woman's head, which exploded on impact, splattering the wall with its contents._

"_Out!" I snarled in pent-up frustration, which was dutifully obeyed by the medical personnel as she hastened out of sight in a flurry of terrified tears. "God damn!" once more I attempted to struggle to my feet, but even as I managed to raise myself off of one knee I felt the sharp, short burst of brain numbing pain that had been the defining characteristic of my history with rehab so far; moments later I found myself crumpling forward onto the carpeted floor of the private room once more._

"_You shouldn't push yourself so much, it'll damage the prosthetics, not to mention your contact points" my head snapped up from the floor to glare angrily at the individual silhouetted in the nearby doorway._

"_I want to be left alone!" I forcefully demanded of the unwonted individual as he walked calmly into the room._

"_Well to bad for you, I'm staying" retorted what I now recognized as a male quarian as he pulled out a nearby chair and allowed himself to drop down into its comfortable folds._

"_Fuck off!" I roared in desperation as I somehow managed to drag my ruined form to its feet._

"_No" retorted the frustratingly annoying individual as he began playing solitaire on his Omni-tool, in a moment of blind stupidity I angrily attempted to take a step towards the infuriating figure; my weight shifted, there was a blinding flash of agony which sent stars dancing across my vision and I watched the ground came rushing up to greet me, or it would have if the unwanted guest hadn't suddenly slammed into me._

"_I wouldn't recommend that" calmly stated the young sounding quarian as he manhandled me over towards a nearby examination table. "You don't want to injure now do you?" my hand materialized around the man's throat as we came to our final destination._

"_Let go" I growled in feral tones._

"_Letting go" squeaked the man as the air was forcibly dragged from his lungs, as the unwanted individual unhanded me I managed to drag myself up into an almost upright sitting position._

"_What the fuck do you want?" I quietly demanded as my lungs struggled desperately to regain their footing._

"_My name is Cedric'Dolan, I'm a technician sent down from the R&D lab to try and help you" I snorted as I heard this._

"_You're a quarian, shouldn't you be trying to steal my wallet or something, rather than trying to help" I coldly remarked._

"_Wow, a racial slur about me being a thief. How original." sarcastically retorted Cedric "Like I've never heard that one before" he began scanning me with his Omni-tool as he continued talking. "I can understand that your frustrated and angry Mr. Shepard but making impolite comments like that won't hurry the process along" I locked eyes with the suited individual as he glanced my general direction._

"_What would you know about anything" I muttered bitterly as I began flexing the fingers in my left hand._

"_Honestly absolutely nothing, I'm not augmented in the slightest, but I know what's it's like to feel completely helpless in your own body" he slowly made a fist before releasing it. "I've spent my entire waking life trap in this thing" the quarian indicated towards his helmet as he said this. "So I can relate", moments later there came a shuddering sensation that sent a warning flashing up on my internal heads up display._

"_What the hell was that?" I hastily demanded as the company employee continued tapping away on the holographic device._

"_I've turned down the nerve sensitivity on your receptors, it'll mean that you'll be able to move about in less pain, but it'll be more tiring due to the increased effort that you'll have to put into moving the prosthetics" I tentatively lowered my foot as I heard this, the pain was still there, but it was muffled, dull, like it had been overwhelmed with painkillers. "How was that?" inquired the engineer as he looked on with what I assumed was a genuinely concerned face. It was hard to tell with the mask._

"_It's better" I absentmindedly replied as lifted myself up onto both appendages, Cedric carefully flanked me as I took my first, hesitant step forward, then another and another; until I found my path finally blocked by the opposite wall._

"_Not too bad for your first time Mr. Shepard, but we can do better than that" stated the figure in noticeably pleased tones as he began fiddling with my settings once more._

"_Yes we can" I breathlessly replied with a satisfied smile spreading across my face, the first since I'd had the unwanted operation._

* * *

><p>"If I'd known back then that you'd only joined the company two months before my surgery, I would never have let you within a million miles of my augmentations" I commented as the two of us snapped back out of my reminiscence.<p>

"I didn't think it was good idea to tell you at the time" replied the researcher in a sarcastic tone as he lent backwards against a lab table.

"I'll remember that next time I need to tell you something important" I stated as I dragged my clothing back over my naked form. "Is my coat ready yet?" fortunately for everyone it was and as I pulled the processed material over my shoulders I could hear the tell-tale sound of minute circuitry warming up as energy began flowing through them once more.

"Next time you want to do some sudden garment adjustments just remember that each of those coats costs about a million credits" professionally stated the quarian as he pulled a see-through bottle of purified water out of a hidden pocket.

"Send the bill to my new engineer." I replied as there came an all too familiar bleeping from my Omni-tool; seconds later the incoming message was redirected to my heads up display as I entered the password for the internal networks firewall.

"Is something wrong?" Cedric asked quietly as he raised an unseen eyebrow.

"It's from one of my subordinates, a number of the ship's crew are meeting at a nightclub called Flux, the Lieutenant wondered if I wanted to attend" my friend could immediately tell that I really didn't want to get involved with all that social interaction, but he wasn't going to let me off that easily.

"You should go Toddy" the researcher was the only one in the company who even knew or was allowed to call me by my original name. "I know that you're not a people person, but social interaction, especially in a closed environment like a ship, is an unwanted necessity towards accomplishing your primary objective and you know it" I inwardly sighed as I heard this.

"Fine I'll go, but you need to do something for me in return" my colleague glanced up from his paperwork as I said this.

"What do you need?" He replied. I leaned forward to whisper something into the man's helmeted ear; the request obviously piqued my friend's interest as his eyes clearly showed.

"Let me see what I can do agent, I'll definitely have something for you next time you check back in"

"You're still going to be here when I get back?" I calmly asked as the security doors parted in front of me.

"Until this whole thing is over and done with I won't be going anywhere else" replied the individual as he held out a three digit hand towards me. "Good luck Toddy" he said quietly as I silently accepted the friendly gesture.

"You as well Dolan" I whispered as I broke free from the vice like grip and strode purposefully into the waiting elevator.

* * *

><p>"Can't believe I'm doing this" I muttered in frustration as my booted feet stomped up the last flight of stairs that were between me and my final destination; moments later I came quietly strolling in through the main entrance to be greeted by a particularly unwonted scene, people smiling, as the cynical person that I am this was like red, hot needles shoved into my brain and even before the unholy reality of the situation had truly sunk in an all too familiar outline homed into view.<p>

"Glad you could make it Commander" pleasantly stated Alenko as he walked quickly across the ground floor towards me. "I thought that it might help distract the crew from the ongoing events" quietly explained the man as he lent forward ever so slightly.

"Noted Lieutenant" I replied as I silently sidestepped around the man and headed towards the well-stocked bar set into one corner of the establishment; time seemed to slowly tick by as the nightclub slowly filled up with an wide array of varying individuals, a good percentage of those being members of Normandy's crew.

"I must be out of my mind" I quietly muttered as the umpteenth alcoholic beverage was placed politely in front of me by the Volus bartender.

"Is that the Commander at the bar?" asked an unseen observer in hushed tones, unfortunately for them they could have been silent for all the good it would have done, because my audio implants would have still picked up what they were thinking (metaphorically speaking).

"I didn't think that he would associate with the likes of us. The walking iceberg Commander Shepard actually drinking with his crew." whispered another individual as the unwanted commentators moved off towards a nearby table, moments later one annoyance was replaced by another as Wrex came striding over from where he'd been sitting with the rest of the ground team.

"Antisocial as ever" chuckled the mercenary as he ordered yet another bottle of that gut melting drink that his kind seemed to love. "You should learn to enjoy yourself more. Life is short, I should know". I gave the alien a particularly unpleasant finger gesture and silently go back to my drink, as I'd expected the muscle mountain erupted into guttural laughter as he sure this. "You've got a quad agent" stated the Krogan as he walked confidently away back towards the waiting crowd; the evening slipped slowly by, people came and went, it was all rather uninteresting.

"There's something I don't get" asked Garrus to the table at large as the words softly echoed across the bustling space towards me.

"And what's that turian?" retorted Wrex as he down a massive glass of ryncol.

"The Commander's been up there on his own for the entire night; I don't get human physical attractiveness but Shepard can't be that unpleasant to look at and yet every single human woman has ignored him" Tali, who seemed slightly the worse for wear due to the amount of alcohol flowing around inside her system, decided to interrupt.

"What are you talking about Vakarian? I've seen him talking to loads of women, we all have" she drunkenly indicated to the surrounding onlookers, who desperately attempting not to get drawn into the conversation.

"That's my point Tali, lots of women have gone to talk to him but none of them have stayed more than a few seconds before leaving"

"Maybe he's not their type" replied the quarian as she sleepily glanced over towards the lone figure at the bar.

"You should ask him" chuckled Williams as her brain began pickling itself in its own juices.

"You lot shouldn't be talking about this" quietly stated Alenko as he sipped away at his whiskey.

"It's not like he can hear us over all this noise." retorted the gunnery chief in slightly frustrated tone.

"Why do you think he wears sunglasses indoors?" asked the Lieutenant as he turned to look in my general direction. "It's because he has neural implants, which means…" he let the answer hang in the air and tapped his ear.

"That he can hear everything I just said" spluttered the turian nervously as he saw me beginning to walk across the room towards them.

"What's wrong Vakarian, regretting your choice of words?" I asked as the alien began to squirm under my withering gaze. "You should always stand by your decisions, even if they are wrong" I emptied the last of the potent poison out of my drinking glass and placed the tumbler down on the table.

"Then I will stand by mine" drunkenly muttered Tali, more to herself than anyone else. "Commander, what type of women find you attractive?" an almost unbearable atmosphere of embarrassment suddenly erupted from everyone around the table, well nearly everyone; Wrex was just sitting back and chuckling to himself.

"The kind with an hourly fee" I calmly replied before turning on my heels and walking out of the room.

* * *

><p>The decompression cycle finally ticked over and I found myself striding purposefully onto the command deck of the Normandy.<p>

"You're back early Sir" stated the unmistakable voice of the chief pilot that echoed down the narrow space towards me.

"There are a number of things that need to be done before we leave port" I replied as the door chimed and I headed towards the lower levels.

"If you're looking for Dr. T'soni she's still in the back of the medical bay" remarked the disembodied Flight Lieutenant over the internal speakers as I arrived on the crew deck.

"Roger that" moments later the sealed doorway into the doctor's private quarters split open to reveal the asari scientist tapping quietly away at a holographic display. "Can I have a moment Doctor?" I politely demanded as the individual glanced over their shoulder in my general direction.

"Yes Commander?" asked the doctor as she abruptly closed the visual display in front of her.

"I have decided to accept your offer, the Alliance Navy will be informed of your presence aboard the ship and your name will be added to the crew roster" I sent the woman a mid-level access code via her omni-tool. "This will let you into the Normandy's computer network, just be careful not to access any restricted files, are we clear?"

"Yes Commander" nervously stammered the scientist in obvious excitement, as this was happening I was weighing up the potential options offered to me, eventually however reality came a calling in the form of the helmsman telling me that the rest of the ground crew had returned earlier than expected.

"I'm going to have to cut this short doctor, but I'll give you a rundown on the current operation sometime today" I shouted as my figure disappeared through the waiting doorway; time seemed to fly by as everyone frantically went about their business, well everyone except me, the dark confines of my cabin seemed to have only a negative effect on the general surroundings, all of which evaporated as there came an unmistakable buzzing sound as someone requested access to the sealed area.

"Enter" I loudly commanded as my eyes darted over the number of reports sprawled out in front of me, moments later the dark sanctum was viciously penetrated by the artificial light which poured in through the open portal.

"I'm not interrupting anything?" inquired the disembodied voice of Garrus as the alien walked nervously into the room.

"What do you want officer Vakarian?" I asked as the man moved slowly across room so that he was standing in front of me.

"I wanted to apologize for my behaviour at the bar Commander, it was unprofessional and I never meant for it to get out of hand" I brushed the comment aside with the back of my metallic hand.

"In all honesty, officer, I couldn't give a damn what you or anyone else thinks of me, if normal women don't find me attractive because of my prosthetics then I will pay for someone who can lie." this particular retort left an uncomfortable feeling lingering in the surrounding space.

"I didn't mean any offence Commander" stammered the individual as he became even more uneasy in my presence.

"What you meant, and what you did are two different things officer" I replied as I continued talking. "But I get the feeling that this isn't the only reason you've come to see me" I'd hit the nail on the head as the turian began fidgeting in front of me.

"I was wondering if we could make a diversion to the Herschel system"

"That's a rather vague request Vakarian. Is there any particular reason?" I stated as my eyes meets his in a long stare.

"I want to take care of some unfinished business" the man replied.

"That still isn't an explanation officer" my remark obviously cut deep because moments later the individual was hastily spelling out his guts to me; it last quite some time. "So let me get this straight, you want me to divert the Normandy so that you can hunt down a rogue doctor that you let get away from you the first time, is that the gist of it?" I commentated; obviously the statement wasn't too well received because the turian began objecting instantaneously upon hearing it. "I don't want to hear your excuses Vakarian" I interrupted. "You should always own your mistakes" I glanced over at the nearby holographic display which presently was showing the entire galaxy in its entire splendour. "Use this opportunity to learn something officer" moments later I activated the ship's intercom. "Helmsman" I snapped.

"Yes Commander?" replied Joker as his voice echoed out from over the speakers.

"Set a course for the Herschel system; inform me when we get there"

"Roger that Commander, course is set, ETA fourteen hours" I looked up at Vakarian as the reply echoed around the room.

"Now get out" I ordered as my personal workstation pinged with an incoming message.

"Right Commander" stammered the figure as he back-pedalled towards the exit, though as the door slide closed I could have sworn that the man whispered thank you under his breath as I settled down to the task at hand.

"Activate secure network" I verbally commanded as my internal heads up display linked itself with the terminal, moments later a bluish tint descended, clearly indicating an encrypted channel.

"Voice recognition required" demanded the security virtual intelligence over the holographic speakers.

"Agent Andrew" I replied, a split second later a green light flashed across my eyes as the live feed was sent directly into my virtual display.

"Good to see that you're getting things done lad" greeted the Chairman's voice as the minute image filled my world.

"Sir" I quietly replied.

"I just got through reading the report you sent" Stated Mr. Coyle as he began walking to and fro in front of the two-way display. "It makes for some interesting reading" he held up an electronic data pad. "Especially the part about Doctor T'soni" the man raised an intrigued eyebrow as he said this. "Does she know about your connection to her mother?" I shook my head in denial as I heard this.

"She won't hear it from me" my employer gave me an unhappy looked before replying.

"But she will eventually Andrew, you can't avoid it, not when Benezia is an opponent" a sad expression slowly spread across the CEO's face as he said that. "I never thought that it would come to this" the man quietly whispered. "The Matriarch always struck me as such a rational person" he glanced at me as he said this "This must be hard for you lad, with your past history and everything; but you must see it through" I interrupted him at that point.

"I'll do whatever it takes" I coldly replied "That's why I'm here, remember" the flickering figure sadly chuckled as he heard this.

"Indeed" Mr. Coyle suddenly stared out of frame before continuing the conversation. "I've got another call incoming, so I'll make this brief; keep in contact, there's something that will need your attention in the near future, but at the moment you've got more important things take care of"

"Yes sir" I stated as my hand moved to terminate the link.

"And Andrew" I paused.

"Sir?"

"Stay alive, that's an order" the line went dead.

"I'll try Sir." I whispered as I lowered myself down into an armchair as sleep demanded an audience. "But I can't promise anything" as darkness enveloped my little world.

* * *

><p><strong>(Thank you for reading this chapter, I hope you liked it)<strong>

**(Please leave comments, they do mean so much to both myself and my proof reader)**

**(Sincerly Gods-own)**


	10. Chapter 10: If it's worth doing

**Chapter 10: If it's worth doing **

"Wake up Toddy, wake up and smell the carnage" whispered the darkly disturbing voice.

"Wake up Toddy"

"Wake up Commander!" reality came rushing in with a vengeance as Joker's voice manhandled its way into my brain and slapped it around. "Wake up!"

"I'm already awake Helmsman." I angrily muttered as my mind dragged itself back into the waking world.

"Sorry to disturb you Commander, but we're dropping into the Herschel system and you wanted to be informed." I silently cursed myself for the instruction, but I quickly slipped back into a professional mindset before responding.

"I take it that Vakarian already informed you what to look for" I said wearily as I dragged my coat over my shoulders.

"Yes Commander, I've already found the Kowloon class conveyer that he talked about, it's making a hard burn for the nearest asteroid belt" I flexed a hand as I heard this.

"Target its engines; I want it dead in space. Understand?" there was an energized affirmative over the speakers as the Normandy notably increased in speed, as this was happening I activated the intercoms remotely "Wrex, Vakarian, get your gear and meet me at the airlock" I snapped off the channel and calmly proceeded to strap on my various pieces of equipment, it was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p>"There she is Commander" stated the pilot as the lumbering craft drifted into view of the starboard view port, it's large, bulbous research modules clearly visible on either side of the vessel.<p>

"Looks like your intel was right Vakarian" I remarked as my internal registration software flashed up the supposed alias of the target as the ship's current owner. "Are the GARDIAN lasers' within range?" I coldly asked as the helmsman's hands began dancing over the holographic panels.

"That's an affirmative commander, just waiting on your order" came the reply.

"Do it" I muttered; the distant craft suddenly lit up with a shuddering wave of miniature explosions as the red hot energy beams cut a swath across the rear end of the transport, severing the fuel lines and sending the vessel into an emergency stop as the unseen pilot fought to regain control.

"What happens if they're not the right people?" gruffly enquired the krogan as he watched the unfolding spectacle in front of them with noticeable amusement.

"Then they're drifting home" my muffled voice replied as I dragged the form fitting helmet down over my head.

"That's why I like you Shepard" chuckled the mercenary as he pulled out his shotgun in eager anticipation. "Always the professional" our little tet-a-tet was obviously uncomfortable for the turian, but I didn't really care, the world was an unhappy place and he better get used to it I silently thought as we three walked into the waiting airlock.

"Please stand by, equalizing interior pressure with docked vessel." stated the artificial voice as the local VI program processed the required protocols.

"I'm grateful commander" quietly muttered Garrus as he calmly switched the safety off on his assault rifle.

"Twenty seconds"

"Noted" I coldly replied, on impulse my hand flexed around the plastic grip of the pistol strapped to my hip.

"Ten seconds" a quite silence descended as the VI counted down the remaining seconds until entry.

"Five seconds"

"Two seconds" the three of us stiffened markedly as there was a sudden release of atmosphere as the seals of both sides of the airlock began to slowly open.

"Get ready" I stated as my firearm rose up to aim at whatever could be waiting on the damaged ship; fortunately all that greeted the party was drifting particles of dust and airtight crates.

"Something's not right" whispered Vakarian as an almost uneasy stillness flooded into the surrounding space. "Where's the captain, the crew?"

"The hell if I know" I coolly retorted as the three of us moved off into the waiting ship.

"Remind me, why we're on this rusting dust bucket?" grumbled Wrex as he slowly glanced into an empty room.

"Because Vakarian had some business that he wanted to take care of" I replied steadily as my internal radar picked up subtle movements deep in the bowels of the vessel.

"So we're here because the rent-a-cop screwed up" spat the mercenary as he let out a mocking chuckle.

"I didn't screw up!" snarled Garrus as he spun around to glare angrily at his unwanted associate. "It was Citadel Control that let him get away, if it'd been up to me I would have shot that scum down before he got halfway off the ground"

"Enough!" I forceful stated over my shoulder as my hand pulled the out casing off of the doors security panel. "Stay focused, we're on a mission" I turned my head to glare angrily at the krogan behind me. "Besides, if things like this didn't happen half of the intergalactic community would be out of work, that goes double for you" the alien erupted into raucous laughter as he heard this.

"That's what I like about you Shepard, you've got a quad on you" replied the towering individual as slammed a melon sized hand into my back with a forceful thud.

"Noted" I said as I plugged a small cable into the base of the locking mechanism, moments later the other end found its way into a small recess port in my wrist. "This won't take a moment" I stated to the world at large as my hacking software began cracking the web of security codes that were keeping the portal tightly sealed.

"I still don't like this" whispered Garrus as he looked around at the narrow passageway with an uneasy stare, his rifle held at the ready. "It's too quiet, it makes my plates itch."

"You're paranoid" stated Wrex as he lent up against a nearby wall. "But that isn't always a bad thing" there came a noticeable click as he said this.

"I've got the door" I muttered in focused tones as I detached the manual connection to the ships internal network. "Get ready" I ordered as the three of us brought our weapons to bear; moments later there came a squeal of protesting rubber as the door split into four section.

"I can't see anything" whispered Vakarian as we slow walked into the next compartment.

"None of us can" retorted the krogan as he swept the room with his assault rifle. "With all this damn crates in the way" as he said this, our little group glanced around at the mind-boggling maze of industrial paraphernalia which had been crammed into the narrow space.

"Stay focused" I muttered as I stuck my head round a nearby corner. "My motion tracker is picking up movement from somewhere in this nightmare, but I can't get an exact reading"

"Why?" Asked the turian as he watched me silently ordered him to cover the rear.

"There are too many surfaces, the scanner waves are being reflected all over the place" moments later there came a low moan that echoed throughout the surrounding space.

"By the Spirits, what was that?" whispered Garrus nervously as he quickly began sweeping to and fro with the rifle. "That didn't sound natural"

"What was your first hint" retorted Wrex as he slowly pulled out his shotgun.

"Stay alert!" I snapped forcefully as my attention was focused on a more pressing matter, the nature of the room was playing havoc with my enhanced senses and the neural implants were near to totally useless in the cramped confines of the storage bay; but that turned out to be the least of my worries as a split-second later a cold, clammy green hand thrust out from in between two towering columns of crates with shocking speed.

"Get off!" I snarled in pent-up aggression as the unseen assailant desperately attempted to drag me bodily through the narrow gap and out of sight. "I said get off!" my right hand closed tight around the things unhealthy looking wrist, without pausing for breath there came a horribly brittle breaking sound as I crushed the offending appendage without a thought, unfortunately not even this seemed to have much of an impact on the aggressor and I was forced to take more drastic measures. "Bloody shoot it!" I shouted as my subordinates unleashed a withering hail of gun fire into the narrow space until their weapons overheated and blistering steam began pouring out of the venting slits. "Hold fire, hold fire!" I ordered as the offending limb let go and fell limply on top of a gore covered crate.

"That got the bloodrage going" chuckled the krogan as he prodded the lifeless arm with his smoking weapon. "Doesn't seem to be moving" he added.

"It looks like its human" stated Garrus as he knelt down next to it to get a better look. "But I thought your skin was supposed to be . . ." the turian gingerly touched the mooted green skin "well, not whatever this is"

"It is supposed to be pink" I coldly replied as I pulled a small plastic tube out of an inner coat pocket and began funnelling some of the disgusting looking liquid from off of the floor. "I'll send this back to Dr. Chakwas for analysis" but the sudden sound of thundering footfalls brought an abrupt end to the conversation as the three of us fell back towards the nearest exit.

"The doors locked!" snapped Wrex as he slammed a hand into the activation panel.

"Damn it" I quietly muttered as we turned to face our ever rapidly approaching pursuers, in a split-second they were on us, a tide of disgusting looking things, more suited to a horror story than real life.

"back to back!." I shouted as out of the corner of my vision I saw a second group of the abominations come crawling over a nearby pile of boxes, the duo next to me abide without question and the three of us soon found ourselves surrounded on all sides by a multitude of snapping monstrosities.

"What are these things?" grumbled Wrex as he disintegrated a humanoid looking things face with a shotgun round.

"Hell if I know" I retorted as I drove a combat blade into a throat of something that had once been a salarian in a shower of cloudy green blood. "Just kill them and we'll figure things out afterwards" it was easier said than done as a with every passing second we found ourselves being pressed more and more by the unending hoard.

"We need to do something" shouted Garrus as he smashed yet another abomination in the face with the butt of his weapon "We can't hold for much longer" as if to add weight to the statement as another boatload of unfeeling assailants came rushing around a corner.

"Damn it" I spat in frustration as I pulled a pair of grenades out from the dispenser. "Fire in the hole!" a split-second later a pair of explosions rocked the confined space as the high explosives detonated amongst the tightly packed masses in front of us, sending bits and pieces raining in all directions. "Move!" I roared as we sprinted towards an open doorway.

"Shut the door!" shouted the mercenary as he lay down a blistering hail of covering fire into the ever encroaching hoard.

"I'm trying!" angrily retorted Vakarian as he frantically worked away at the aged electronics.

"Try harder!" I ordered as my sidearm spat hot death into the mottled masses which by this point were within spitting distance, fortunately for everyone involved that was as far as they got because moments later their came a churning squeal as the airtight door slammed down into its resting place.

"To close Commander" grumbled Wrex as he calmly ran a large finger across a rapidly regenerating cut on his face. "I was about to get bored" I raised an eyebrow as I heard this.

"I can open the door and let you have another crack at them if you want" I retorted as my internal check up came back with a short list of minor injuries, three of which required medical attention, but I pushed the warnings aside.

"I'll pass" chuckled the mercenary as he cleaned the disgusting looking slime from the barrel of his weapon, at this point Garrus decided to interrupt the flow of the current conversation.

"Spirits, what were those things" spluttered the armoured turian as he slipped breathlessly onto the floor.

"Hell if I know" I replied as my neural implants picked up the unmistakable sound of a salarian heartbeat going a million miles an hour from further down the corridor. "But it seems like I've just found our target, let's move" after saying this Vakarian suddenly seemed to discover a newfound source of energy which showed itself by allowing the weary figure to vault to his feet in a blur.

"Yes sir" the man shouted as he fell in behind the rest of us as we moved off down the main corridor towards the last few rooms on the ship, the first one turned out to be filled to the brim with the dissected remains of a number of unfortunate individuals, some of which were still alive, right up to the point where I emptied a round into each of their heads.

"I'm going to make that bastard pay" snarled Garrus in a quiet growl as he surveyed the inhuman scene in utter silence.

"Stay focused" I coldly instructed as I finished downloading the last few files from a nearby terminal. "We still have a mission to accomplish".

"I'm all too aware of that" softly retorted Vakarian as he checked and rechecked his firearm. "But I'm going to take care of that really soon" this particular announcement brought with it an uneasy stillness that followed us as we left the room; fortunately this didn't last very long because the next area our little group walked into contained the aforementioned Dr. Saleon.

"Thank you, oh thank you for saving me from those things" emotionally stuttered the scientist as he came crawling out from behind a pile of crates.

"Commander that's him, that's Dr. Saleon" heatedly stated the turian, the plates on either side of his mouth twitching noticeably.

"What?" nervously spluttered the salarian, "My name is Heart, Dr. Heart" I watched as the man began to slowly back away. "Please get me out of here" unfortunately for him my facial recognition software flashed up a positive identification on the internal heads up display, unfortunately Vakarian suddenly took matters into his on hands

"There's no escape this time doctor; I'd harvest your organs first, but we don't have the time" a look of pure horror spread across Saleon's face as he heard first.

"He's crazy, you're crazy, don't let…." but the terrified pleadings was cuts short by a round that smashed its way through the back of the man's head in a shower of vibrant green blood; Garrus turned around to glance at the smoking weapon held tightly in my hand with a frustrated expression on his face.

"If you want something done right then you do it yourself" I coldly explained as my feet carried over towards the fallen form. "Wrex go check the flight recorder, see if he went anywhere unusual" the Krogan grunted in acceptance as he strolled out of the room.

"Then why didn't you let me Commander?" angrily demanded the turian as he stormed over towards me as I knelt down to search the dead man's pockets.

"Because you were to emotionally attached Garrus" I calmly replied as out of the corner of my vision the young officer began pacing beside me. "You can't do this job if you allow things to get personal" I heard the alien mutter something impolite in his own language but I wasn't really paying attention as I decided to do something completely out of character. "Why do you think people like me or Saren exist?" I remember asking as my own waking consciousness began drifted back to a point in the distant past.

"Because you do the things that other people can't?" uncertainly replied the young turian as he began fidgeting with a suit seal as I glanced up at him with a piercing expression.

"We do what's necessary Vakarian, no matter the cost" I stated as I rose back to my feet. "Ask yourself, are you truly willing to do that, to kill without question, even if that person hasn't done anything wrong, would you do it just because someone told you too?" I inquired, the man fell silent as he heard this and it lasted for quite some time before the figure responded.

"I don't know" he softly whispered.

"Then I suggest you think about" I coldly replied as the metal portal slammed shut behind me.

* * *

><p>Time slowly slipped by as I quietly worked away at an after action report in the darkened confines of my cabin, normally such a thing wouldn't have caused me to raise an eyebrow but in this instance my mind was having trouble focusing for some reason, I kept on finding myself becoming lost in a kind of self-imposed melancholy as memories from the past and the present came slowly rising up to the fore, one after another, until it seemed like my entire life was flashing before my eyes; it was particularly unnerving and I didn't want to endure it any more.<p>

"Flight Lieutenant!" my voice cut the quiet stillness like a razorblade through butter.

"Sir?" stammered the groggy sounding pilot as he frantically dragged himself out of his night time respite.

"Set course for the Attican Beta cluster" I snapped as my metallic hands dragged the jet black coat off from the back off the chair and onto a pair of unfeeling shoulders.

"Do you have a system in mind Commander?" Joker asked as he uncomfortably adjusted his seating position.

"Just tell me when we get there" I firmly retorted as my cabin door slipped shut behind me, my form thundering across the mess room towards the sick bay.

"Aye Commander. ETA to Attican Beta is 52 hours." Joker responded.

* * *

><p>"Evening Commander" stated Dr. Chakwas as she saw me walking through her entranceway.<p>

"Don't you ever sleep" I frustratingly inquired as my eyes were drawn to the digital clock in the upper corner of the heads up display. "It's two in the morning" the woman softly laughed as she heard this.

"I could say the same thing about you Commander" cheerfully retorted the doctor in a pleasant tone.

"Point taken" moments after saying this, my attention was drawn towards the report that the woman was quietly working away on. "What's that?" I asked.

"It's the blood work from the samples that you gave me" this announcement piqued my interest.

"Found anything interesting?" I asked as my eyes quickly darted across the holographic screen.

"More like disturbing" replied the professional in sombre tones as she turned the display around so that I could get a better look. "I counted twenty different kinds of chemicals, not to mention the insane quantities of steroid and hormones floating around inside the unfortunate individual's bloodstream" Chakwas shook her head in total disgust as she continued talking.

"What that maniac was thinking I can't even begin to comprehend" I remained tight-lipped as the female figure turned back towards me. "But I get the feeling that you didn't come here just to chat" stated the woman as she fixed me with a professional stare. "What seems to be the problem?" there was a long pause before I answered.

"I'm having trouble focusing and I keep on getting headaches from time to time" a look of slight concern spread across the doctor's face as she heard this.

"Have you checked your neural implants?" she inquired softly.

"Twice" I replied "And I de-fragmented my hard drive" the professional raised an eyebrow in a questioning expression.

"When was the last time you had a general check-up on your implants Commander?" asked Chakwas, as she brought up my medical history with a quick flick of a slender finger.

"About three weeks ago" I steadily replied in an attempt not to attract unwanted attention from the physician.

"I think you should get them looked at again as soon as possible" firmly stated the woman as she pulled a small plastic bottle out of a desk drawer. "I can give you something to relieve the symptoms, but the underlying problem will still remain" I nodded in silent acceptance as I down two of the penny sized tablets. "If the headaches get worse come and see me straight away" firmly ordered the doctor as she made a note of this in her records.

"Yes Doctor" I grumbled as I walked out of the med-bay; the seconds ticked by as my form made its way towards the cargo lift and as the portal pulled shut in front of me I was deeply grateful that I'd had the clarity of mind not to mention the whispering voices that seemed to have penetrated my mind.

"Keep it together Toddy" I softly muttered as there came a high-pitched note as the elevator came to the gradual halt in the bowels of the ship. "Williams!" I forcefully demanded. "How are you and Vakarian coming on with the Mako?" the marine glanced up from her precarious position on top of the armoured vehicle.

"The wishbone's broken and the main gun is out of alignment; but we should be able to fix it" she shouted over the sound of a plasma cutter.

"Double time it, we're going to need it really soon" the pair glanced at each other before replying simultaneously.

"We'll try" They softly replied in noticeably exhausted tones.

"Don't try, do it." I ordered as my feet carried me towards engineering.

* * *

><p>"Evening Commander" greeted engineer Adams as he walked up the slope to meet me halfway "Didn't expect to see you down here at this time of night" stated the officer as I glanced around at my surroundings.<p>

"Just checking in chief" I explain "Anything to report?" as the question left my mouth I knew straight away that something was wrong by the worried expression that flashed across the man's features. "What is it" I quietly demanded

"It's Miss Zorah, she's been a bit unfocused of late, I had to tell her to get some sleep after she turned up for the wrong shift" I felt my forehead wrinkling into a frown as I heard this.

"That doesn't sound like her" I remember muttering as my brain began to hurtle around in confusion.

"No it doesn't" replied Adams as he ran a wrinkled hand through his short hair.

"Where is she?" I asked quietly.

"In sleeping pod seven on the crew deck" came the response; I barely heard it as my feet hastily carried me out of the room and towards the elevator; with every passing moment my mind flashed over the ever increasing reasons why the young quarian could be acting this way.

* * *

><p>My final destination came homing into view as I took the last few steps that separated me from the individual in question, who was obviously attempting to get to sleep until my right hand rapped forcefully on the glass panel.<p>

"Keelah what time is it?" groaned Tali as she opened the compartment with noticeable hesitation, the girls underlying hostility quickly evaporated as her vision quickly cleared to reveal the unmistakable outline standing directly in front of the female figure. "Commander, what is it?" spluttered the shocked woman as I silently indicated for the young quarian to follow me as I thundered back towards my cabin; moments later as the door slide shut behind us I allowed myself to turn to face her.

"Please have a seat Miss Zorah" I quietly stated, gesturing to the chair in front of my desk as the teenager stood before me trembling ever so slightly. "We need to talk" the girl quickly dropped into the empty space as she heard this.

"What seems to be the problem Commander?" nervously enquired Tali as she obviously braced herself for a telling off.

"I was going to ask you the same thing" I replied as my coat dropped down over the back of the desk chair that I'd turned around to face her. "Chief Engineer Adams has informed me that you seem distracted of late, care to tell me what's going on?" it was more a demand than a question and the girl noticed that.

"I don't know, your ship is amazing and your crews been really great to me" I silently nodded my head in pleased acknowledgement as I heard this, it had been a well-kept concern of mine that the multi-species aspect of the crew would lead to tension between the alliance personnel and the non-human members of the ground team; something that the mission could well do without. "Especially your chief engineer" explained the female quarian as she continued talking. "But I just sort of feel out of place" this particular statement didn't really take me too much by surprise, most young quarians' went through a large sway of emotions when they went out on their pilgrimage; Cedric had once told me that the feeling was akin to the human equivalent of culture shock and now I was silently regretting not paying more attention to his absent-minded ramblings when I had the chance. "The Normandy runs so smoothly it feels that we're not even moving" my mind continued listening as I offered the woman a purified bottled water from a small fridge that was expertly tucked away in the corner of the room, she accepted it with a silent thanks.

"And that unnerves you" I commentated almost absentmindedly; Tali nodded her head in agreement to the statement.

"And the engines are so quiet, how do you sleep at night?" the girl earnestly enquired as she fixed me with a focused stare.

"The lack of noise makes you feel uneasy" I stated, desperately attempting to avoid the unwanted question the best I could.

"Back on the flotilla the last thing you want to hear is silence, it means an engine's died or an air filter has shut down" the teenager paused as she slowly glanced around at the surrounding space. "I guess you don't have to worry about that here, but old habits die hard" a metallic hand slowly dragged a glass bottle out of a small wood box as I considered her comment.

"I can understand your problem Miss Zorah, but this isn't a three hundred year old hulk, you're going to have to adapt" I said this as the dark green liquid quietly poured out of the end of the bottle and into a small tumbler that rested in my other hand.

"It's more than just the silence, this ship feels so empty, like half the crew is missing" the potent poison stung the back of my throat as I listened in total silence. "Back home I couldn't wait to go on my pilgrimage, I couldn't wait to get away from the crowds" I interrupted her at that point.

"And now that you're out here you miss them" Tali nodded quickly in agreement as she heard this. "Have you ever considered that that is the point of the pilgrimage" I said as my mind angrily demanded that I pour myself another round of liquor.

"I have started to wonder that myself" replied the girl as she leant forward eagerly in excitement as her focus was turned towards the problem. "It's given me a new understanding of my culture and people" but as soon as she said this a hint of sadness crept into her voice. "You know there are always a few that go on their pilgrimages never to return, I always assumed that something bad had happened to them, but maybe they just wanted a different life" I slowly pushed the wooden box out of the view as my mind quickly thought out an appropriate response, when it turn up blank I just had to wing it.

"That's what it means to be an individual Miss Zorah, not everyone wants to put the community before themselves" I watched as the figure in front of me seemed to absorb this answer in silence. "And I'm pretty sure that you intend to return to the migrant fleet, correct?" as soon as the answer had left my mouth I caught sight of a fiery glare that seemed to radiate out from behind the see-through mask.

"I could never abandon my people Shepard" firmly stated the woman as she quickly rose from the chair. "I will go back eventually, but we have to stop Saren first" the quarian adjusted her tool belt as she muttered the next half of the sentence. "Otherwise I might not have a home to go back to" I pulled a cigarette out from a small packet as inwardly my heart roared in defiance to the defeatist talk and for once my mind was in total agreement.

"That won't happen" I firmly stated from my seat in the centre of the room. "I won't let that happen" for half a moment I could have sworn that the girl's face turned a deep shade of violet as she heard this.

"Thank you Commander" she whispered, but my brain wasn't finished with her yet.

"You can call me Shepard" I replied as the female figure turned to leave. "When I'm not on duty you can call me Shepard" the teenager spluttered out a hasty reply which I didn't quite catch before vanishing out of the exit.

* * *

><p>The hours swapped by as the Normandy slipped through the silent emptiness of space, time always seemed to act differently in transit it seemed to me and this trip was no different, it stuttered and spluttered, juddering forwards at weird intervals every time I glanced up at the time piece on the wall.<p>

"Commander" the voice cut through the spotless stillness.

"What?" I quietly replied.

"We've just dropped into the outskirts of the Attican Beta cluster, orders skipper?" professionally inquired the helmsmen as I felt the gentle pull of artificial gravity as the interstellar vessel slowly decelerated.

"Set course for the ExoGeni colony on the planet Feros in the Theseus system" I calmly stated as my mind went over the confidential information that had been sent to me by the ambassador in the last data package.

"Can I ask why?" Joker sarcastically asked.

"No" I pointedly snapped and that was the end of that; a sudden blinking light on my private terminal clearly indicated an incoming call from someone important "Shepard out" I stated as the ship's internal com went dead. "Activate link" my voice commanded as I closed a tired set of eyes.

"Commander" the voice was instantly recognizable and almost welcome.

"Captain Anderson" I quietly replied as my vision slowly glanced up at the glowing holographic display. "What can I do for you?" the figure on the over end of the communication was looking particularly flustered as he fired off a retort.

"I caught wind of the fact that you're going to the Feros colony next" softly whispered the officer as if someone was listening.

"And?" I replied in an irritated tone.

"I've been seeing worrying reports coming across the ambassador's desk back here at the Citadel" explained Anderson as a worried expression flashed briefly across his features. "Whatever the Geth want on that planet they're there in force" I nodded in silent acknowledgement. "I don't need to tell you to be careful" the man paused briefly before continuing. "Just don't expect everything to be as it seems, you know what ExoGeni is like" I erupted into a soft chuckle as I heard this, which seemed to take the alliance official by surprise.

"Don't worry Anderson, I'll get the job done" I calmly replied as I terminated the connection.

"No matter what" I solemnly added, a sudden thought flashed through the dark sections of my mind as a realization crept into reality. "Better get it over and done with" I muttered as my hand reached over towards the intercom. "Now here this!" my voice echo throughout the vessel as the order forced its way into everyone's brain. "I want the ground team to assemble in the briefing room on the double, Shepard out." moments later there came the unmistakable sound of thundering feet as nearly half a dozen individuals came thundering out of the elevator and out of earshot up one of the narrow set of stairs that lead to the command deck; unsurprisingly however Doctor T'soni wasn't one of them and as my figure crossed the mess I caught sight of the woman desperately attempting to straighten the clean set of medical attire that the ship's doctor had given her.

"I'll be right there" Spluttered the female figure as she caught sight of me.

"These no need to rush doctor" I calmly replied as the two of us moved ever upwards into the command and control section of the vessel. "The debriefing won't start until I get there" I glanced over towards the nervous individual. "And it seems that we'll both arrive at the same time" that seemed to placate the good doctor, who for once managed to get her nervous energy under control.

"Thank you" she whispered as the metal doors linking the conference room to the rest of the ship swept open.

"Officer on deck!" snapped Williams as the awaiting alliance personnel visibly jumped to attention.

"At ease" I commanded as my form confidently strolled past the awaiting ground crew. "At this exact moment the Normandy is on course towards the Theseus system, our target is the colony of Feros" as I said this, a 3-d image of the planet flickered into life in the centre of the room. "The reason for this sudden investigation is a simple one" my eyes surveyed the waiting crowd before continuing. "Four days ago an alliance vessel picked up a distress signal and went to investigate" I pulled an image out of the stored file in my hard drive, before sending it to the holographic display. "What they found was the geth" a blurry scene shuddered into view, a lot of the detail was degraded beyond use, but there was still the unmistakable outline of an enemy cruiser in the foreground. "The vessel managed to limp back to friendly space about two days ago and the whole episode was quickly hushed up" the room went dark once more as the ghostly pictures vanished back into the void. "That's where we come in" I silently glanced over at Wrex as I continued talking "Our mission is to infiltrate the colony and assess the situation" a notable groan went up from several members of the team as they heard this "If anyone is still alive we're ordered to retake the installation" more groans, my patience was quickly running out and I let it be known by the withering glare that I unleashed upon them. "Or die trying" I forcefully added.

"This should be fun" chuckled the krogan as he lent backwards into his seat.

"Not much fun as you think" I replied as my mind moved onto the next area of the briefing. "The colony is owned by the ExoGeni Corporation and they hadn't been informed about the operation" I noticed the splattering of confused faces amongst the team when I revealed this fact.

"Excuse me Commander" politely stated Alenko as he raised a hand to attract my attention.

"What is it Lieutenant?" I quietly demanded.

"Why hasn't the corporate headquarters been informed Sir?" before I could reply an all too familiar voice interrupted me.

"Because the company would have a blue fit if they knew that Shepard was poking about inside one of their buildings" explained Wrex as he allowed an unwanted smile spread across his scared face.

"Why would they have a problem with the Commander?" ask Liara in a confused tone, I silently cursed the Krogan for placing me in this position because no matter how hard I tried my mind couldn't find an easy way out so I silently decided to give up and tell the truth.

"Because I work for Synthetic Insights" I quietly stated, this revelation seemed to take several members of the squad by surprise.

"But I thought you worked for your human Alliance" said Dr. T'soni nervously as she moved ever so slightly away from me.

"I'm on long term loan to the Alliance" I reluctantly explained.

"I take it that they wanted you because of your experience as a company agent" muttered the mercenary as he continued to smirk quietly to himself at my discomfort.

"Company agent?" inquired Tali quietly as she glanced at my general direction.

"Their private security personnel, hired by large corporations" explained Garrus as he joined in on the conversation. "They tend to be ex-military, but they can also be trained in house depending upon the employer" the turian glanced over at me as he continued talking. "You're an A-ranked agent if I'm not mistaken Commander" moments later the individual realized that he'd said something unwanted as pressure suddenly flooded the crowded space.

"What does A-ranked mean?" naively asked the young quarian, who was completely unaware of the building tension all around her.

"There are three levels of security personnel" my voice quietly stated as I took control of the conversation. "C-rank individuals are employed to guard company buildings and low risk workers" I indicated over towards Williams as I said this "Like the gunnery chief" Tali became fiddling with her hands as I continued talking. "B-ranked individuals are normally found watching important installations and people, making sure certain projects aren't leaked or stolen." I jerked a thumb over my shoulder at the good doctor behind me. "Like Dr. T'soni" I drew myself up as the explanation reached its final destination. "And A-ranked agents such as myself are only used for the most crucial undertakings, such as guarding the chairman of the company or going after rogue personnel" I paused as my mind realized that I'd taken on a serious tone and if that wasn't enough it had also dawned on the teenager that she'd step into a rather sensitive subject.

"I was only asking" she whispered quietly as her figure seemed to shrink into the surrounding piece of furniture; my mind began swearing franticly and all of a sudden the impending mission was becoming ever more appealing with every passing moment.

* * *

><p><strong>(Thank you for reading this work, it means so much to both myself and my proof reader)<strong>

**(Please review, tell me if you like it or what could be improved, I'm will try to get back to you as fast as possible)**

**(Sincerly Gods-own)**


	11. Chapter 11: From those flames

**(Here is the next chapter, hope everyone likes it, sorry its short, I was trying to get something to you the readers as soon as possible, but there was tech problems)**

**(Please let me know what you think of this chapter)**

**(Sincerely Gods-own) **

**Chapter 11: From those flames**

Nothing was ever simple, life had taught me that and it was teaching me it again as a second withering bombardment slammed into the ancient masonry surrounding my ground team.

"They're trying to flank us!" shouted Garrus as he lent briefly out of cover to snap off a few shots.

"Then stop them!" I testily barked as an enemy shock trooper thundered out of cover towards me. "I'm a tad busy at the moment." moments later there came a satisfying crack as the armor penetrating round smashed its way through the charging construct's left knee joint, sending the robotic opponent slamming into the stone floor with bone shattering force, a second, sharp roar from my pistol ruthlessly dispatched the assailant as its head exploded under the impact.

"Everyone sound off!" I forcefully demanded as the remaining enemy began falling back towards an easily defend location.

"Williams, fine"

"Wrex, fine"

"Alenko, fine" my mind suddenly froze as the line fell silent.

"Miss Zorah come in, Doctor T'soni come in!" still nothing, I hastily glanced around at the remaining members of my squad. "Does anyone have eyes on them?" I bellowed over the continuing conflict, fortunately someone did.

"I can see them!" stated Wrex as he came sauntering over towards me, "They're pinned down on the other side of the hanger, damn if I know how they got over their" I inwardly let off a deep sigh of relief as my ears picked this up.

"Can you get through to them?" I asked as rounds cut through the air above us.

"Not without getting my head shot off" muttered the mercenary as he stood up to return fire with his assault rifle.

"Then I'll do it myself" I retorted coldly as I backtracked along the causeway towards the Normandy. "Joker!" I snapped as my hands began grasping hold of the exterior.

"Sir?" enquired the helmsman's voice as I continued my ascent over the spacecraft.

"I'm in the middle clambering over the ship, do not activate the shields, do you hear me!" the man's reply came back dripping with sarcasm.

"I wouldn't dream of it Commander" stated the disembodied voice as I got my first glance of the beleaguered duo; the unhappy pair were squeezed in behind a fallen pillar and unsurprisingly they were rather surprised when first Tali and then T'soni caught sight of me scrambling across the hull towards their location.

"Tali come in" I ordered over the squad's intercom, but all that answered me was static, so I was forced to improvise with a number of crude hand signals, moments later the young quarian unleashed her own assault of hand signs, which came so fast that I was forced to slow the girl down. "Something's blocking their comms" I whispered softly as I slid down the other side of the ship and onto the exposed platform, in hindsight it was probably a bad decision because within a split second a large percentage of the enemy weapons were being fired at my general direction. "Damn it all!" I angrily snapped as my weapon blasted away at the distant figures on the other side of the hanger.

"Commander, can you hear me?" Alenko's voice suddenly cut through the surrounding static as a trio of explosions tour through the packed opposition. "I repeat can you hear me Sir?" hastily enquired the officer in concerned tones.

"I can hear you marine" I calmly replied as my right hand silently indicated for the prone women to follow me as we slowly began advancing towards the disorganized enemy. "Nice shot by the way" I added as our divided team slowly squeezed the life out of the geth rearguard, until all that was left was broken bodies and smoldering wreckage.

"Now that's what I call a fight" boomed the krogan happily as he kicked a ruined robot off of an edge.

"Speak for yourself" retorted Williams as she slowly rose from next to the gore covered remains that was all that was left of our welcoming committee.

"Report!" I snapped in an authoritative tone as I came sauntering over towards the pair.

"The colonist's dead" grimly replied the gunnery chief as she slowly wiped red crimson from her hands. "The carnage round pretty much blew him in half" I quietly cursed as I heard this.

"Now we have no clue about what's going on" grumbled Vakarian as step in behind me.

"Then we'll just have to find out" I coldly stated to the surrounding group as I silently indicated to them to fall in behind me as we head towards the exit; in hindsight it was a wise decision because within half a second of entering the installation we were set upon from all sides by more of those weird frog robots that Tali called hoppers; they didn't last long and as the last of them fell dead the ear splitting static that had been bothering several members of the team died with them.

"That's better" softly whispered the young quarian as she began rubbing one side of her helmet. "I was seriously considering shutting off my helmets audio receptors" I chuckled ever so slightly as they heard this, but for half a moment I could have sworn that the girl stiffened ever so slightly as she heard my voice.

"We better press on" murmured the suited figure as Ashley walked by with a concerned look on her face.

"I'll take point" firmly stated the marine as she quietly moved off up the staircase.

…

Something wasn't right, an unnatural aura seemed to leach out of the surrounding stonework and that wasn't the only thing.

"Tali" I calmly whispered over a private channel as we headed up the seemingly never-ending flight of stairs.

"Commander?" spluttered the woman in shocked surprise as she heard my voice gently echoing out of an earpiece.

"Stay calm and try not attract too much attention" I instructed as we both slowed down to allow most of the other members of the team to overtake the two of us. "I need to ask a favour of you" this unusual announcement seemed to strike a point with the young quarian, who visibly puffed up with pride as she heard this.

"You can count on me Commander" stated the individual eagerly as she attempted to remain nonchalant, or as nonchalant as one can be when wearing an environmental suit.

"Good" I quickly glanced over my shoulder at Garrus, who was bringing up the rear, fortunately for our little duo the turian wasn't paying us much attention. "Does your suit have built-in environmental detection?" the question caused the woman to pause ever so slightly before replying in a confused tone.

"Of course, but why?" I didn't bother to answer her question as I continued talking.

"Can you make the software run an air analysis, without anyone knowing?" more confusion from the female quarian, who almost came to a shuddering halt as she heard this.

"I can, it isn't too hard, I'll just adjust the scanning intensity in the filter section with my omni-tool" she suddenly fixed me with a concerned stir. "What is all this about Shepard" the sudden use of my surname clearly indicated the seriousness of her concern.

"I don't know, I've just got a bad feeling about this place" this remark was only partly true, because for the last half a minute the neural implants had been flashing a multitude of warnings across my internal heads up display. "Tell me if you find anything"

"Of course Commander" quietly replied Tali as she start the calibrations.

"What are you two talking about?" suddenly enquired Vakarian as he materialized behind me.

"Nothing important" came the steady reply as I gave my female companion an instructive look.

"The Commander was just apologizing for earlier" calmly stated the woman as she suddenly increased the distance in between us.

"Yes I was" I grudgingly muttered as my mind openly groaned at the remembrance of the briefing.

"Commander!" the energized voice of the gunnery chief clearly cut across to com channels, shattering the awkward silence that was threatening to send once more onto the proceedings.

"Report!" I barked as my feet thundered up the last few flights of stairs that separated me from the remainder of my squad.

"The colony is still standing, but they're being pushed pretty hard by the Geth Commander, they won't last much longer" I openly cursed as my audio implants picked up the distinct discharges of small arms as Williams homed into view.

"Orders Sir!" shouted the marine as she caught sight of me.

"Do not allow them get a foot hold" I roared as my sidearm was pulled free from its housing.

"Send them back to the void!" an ear splitting chorus of yells clearly indicated the willingness everyone else involved as I lead a thunderous charge across the opened space towards the heart of the fighting.

Commander Shepard, Alliance Marines, what's your name?" my voice was almost drowned out by the firestorm that was being unleashed all around us as I hurtled into cover next to one of the colonists.

"Fai Dan, I'm in charge of these people" spluttered the confused man as he glanced around in complete surprise as my squad spread out around him.

"What's the situation?" I had to shout the question as an explosion detonated in ear splitting distance of my head.

"We've got geth in the tower" the colonist jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the ruin structure in front of us. "We need to protect the heart of the colony" this particular comment set alarm bells ringing in my brain, but the ongoing chaos forced me to push the disquieted feelings to one side as I quickly assessed my options, no of them were good.

"Listen up!" I bellowed as everyone began laying down withering fire onto the archenemy.

"We're going to split into two groups, the first, led by me will rush the tower entrenched while the other gives five support" there were cries of acknowledgement down the line as the team heard this.

"Garrus, Tali, your with me, everyone else don't screw up" moments later I found myself storming towards the ruined doorway with biotic explosions and bullets slicing through the air all around me.

"Geth shock troopers!" Yelled Vakarian, as he emptied his assault rifle into a badly damaged opponent.

"I got them" Shouted Tali, who sent a tech mine smashing into one of the elite units; without pausing for breath the woman unloaded a soul destroying shotgun round into the unfortunate face of the synthetic, a split second later a sniper rifle bullet slipped effortlessly past the woman's head and drilled its way into the remaining opponent's throat.

"Nice shot" crowed Garrus as he caught sight of Williams calmly venting the excess heat out of her precision weapon.

"Stay focused!" I bellowed as my right fist smashed a robotic sniper over a nearby railing, moments later there came a significantly satisfying sound of breaking metal as the geth assailant came to a sudden stop at the bottom of the yawning stairway that was on the over side.

"The enemy are trying to reinforce their line!" the alarm call snapped my head around as I caught sight of a number of unwanted silhouettes coming hurtling down a crumbling staircase.

"Move!" I roared as my body started hurtling towards the hastening reinforcements, thundering projectiles hammered into the flickering blue energy field that surrounded me as I continued ever onwards; fortunately the sudden rush had taken the opponents by surprise as the dishevelled defences clearly indicated. "Surprise" I muttered as my shoulder slammed into the nearest assailant with body braking force, time seemed to slow to a crawl as the combat stimulants took hold, the world seemed to blur ever so slightly around its edges as I launched the pinned opponent into one of its nearby associates; moments later there came a blinding flash as the pistol held tightly in my other hand snarled into life; the first shot smashed clean through the pinned synthetics', the second round decapitated nearest one and the third disembowelled the other in a shower of sickly white fluid.

"Are you all right Commander?" stammered Tali as she came hurtling over towards me, shotgun at the ready.

"I'm fine, where's Vakarian" I calmly replied.

"Right here Shepard" Stated the turian as he moved out from behind his cover.

"Good, let go" I moved a hand up towards my head as our little group. "Group two come in!" the all too familiar voice of the lieutenant came blaring back over the internal headset.

"Group two here, what's your situation Commander?" enquired Alenko over the noticeably crackly line.

"The entranceway is secure, move your team up to our position, I'm going to push forwards towards the enemy's landing point, follow in behind us and take care of any hostile reinforcements that could attempt to encircle us, understood?" there came a clear and confident response from his subordinate as he dropped off the line.

"I take it that we're taking all the risk" said Garrus as he moved up to one side of my person.

"That's why I hired you Vakarian, you can handle it, let's go" this uncharacteristically announcement seemed to take the C-sec officer by surprise, who quietly glanced over towards the young quarian to see if he'd heard correctly.

"Yes sir" spluttered the alien as we started off up the crumbling walkway, after a long slog through an ever increasing number of opponents we found ourselves fighting a pitched battle in what appeared to be landing point for the invading Geth.

"Spirits they just keep coming!" Shouted the turian, who was blazing away with his assault rifle at an elusive sniper that was being particularly annoying at that moment in time.

"Group two will be here, hold on" I firmly ordered as more robotic assailants dropped in through the ruined roof.

"I've overheated!" stated Tali frantically as she dived back behind a fallen pillar, heat streaming from her weapon; unfortunately I wasn't the only one to notice this and moments later the synthetic invaders began pouring fire onto the isolated figure.

"Suppressing fire!" I bellowed as a distant sound heralded the arrival of unwanted attention, this was suddenly reinforced by a thundering crescendo as elite enemy forces dropped from low orbit onto this position. "Lieutenant what's your ETA!" I quietly snarled over my head set as geth shock troopers began advancing across open ground towards us.

"We're almost there Commander, hang on" hastily shouted the officer over deep lungful of breath as the remainder of my team hurtled towards us.

"Hurry the hell up!" I forcefully retorted as my sidearm roared into life, sending a white plated enemy flying backwards, shedding bits of armour in all directions.

"Destroyer!" Vakarian frantic call shattered my self-imposed calm as I caught sight of the towering colossus stampeding towards the lone figure of the female quarian.

"Shepard!" there was noticeable fear in the girl's voice as she frantically attempted to un-jam her weapon, but I didn't even notice as my body took on a mind of its own, one moment I was kneeling behind cover the next I was hurtling through the air as my entire weight came crashing down onto the opponent's resilient frame, it wasn't the smartest of moves as it turned out.

"Come on!" I chillingly growled as the gigantic assailant angrily attempted to throw me off, which it duly did, but even this didn't slow me down, because the instant I hit the floor I was back on my feet again wrestling with the monstrous synthetic as it desperately attempted to bring its heavy weapon to bear. "No you don't" I muttered from between clenched teeth as my right hand forced the lethal end ever upwards so that it was point directly towards the metallic face. "Suck it!" I spat as the weapon erupted in the things face; the world went white as the explosion sent me hurtling backwards into a pile of fallen masonry, the geth destroyer on the other hand fared even worse as the gushing fountain of hydraulic fluid that poured out of its ruined head clearly indicated, but even this didn't seem to put a stop to the frustrating adversary as it desperately attempted to bring its cannon to bear, this unwanted determination was finally silenced by a withering hail of solid shotgun rounds that smashed the towering enemy off its feet.

"Shepard" the familiar voice was quickly followed moments later by the unmistakable outline of Tali'Zorah leaning over my floored figure. "Keelah, are you ok?" I didn't have time to answer as a sudden crescendo of automatic fire began hurtling into the surrounding crumbling décor.

"Get moving!" frantically shouted Garrus as the two of us hastily scrambled back over the fallen pillar as more geth turned their attention in our general direction.

"Where is everyone?" nervously enquired the young girl as the improvised shelter began to disintegrate under the concentrated bombardment.

"Right here!" bellowed Wrex as he came storming out of the nearby entrance, all guns blazing and everyone else in tow; unsurprisingly the remaining opposition didn't last too long in the face of such determined aggression and when the smoke had cleared and all that could be heard was the sound of fallen masonry I allowed myself to take a much needed breather as my body started to purge the stimulants from its system.

"Are you alright skipper?" Asked the gunnery chief in concerned tones as she came sauntering over towards my position sitting atop a pile of rubble.

"What took you so long?" I coldly demanded as my vision drifted across the scarred landscape that stretched out in all directions.

"It's my fault Commander" interrupted the lieutenant as he forced his way into the conversation. "I wasn't fast enough following your instructions and by the time we'd reached your previous location the enemy had already deployed skirmishers to delay us" this particular revelation didn't come as surprise to me, I'd already come to a similar conclusion, but I wasn't going to tell them that.

"When I give someone orders Lieutenant I expect them to carry it out" I jabbed a finger in the krogan's direction. "I don't expect something like skirmishes to slow down Wrex, that's why I left him with you" I rose to my feet with quiet determination as I continue the tongue lashing "If you can't handle the responsibility of command then I'll find someone who can, are we clear!" it wasn't really a question and everyone within earshot new it.

"Crystal Sir!" hastily replied the alliance officer as I forced my way past him.

"Listen up!" I forcefully ordered as everyone turned to look in my direction, with expectant expressions upon their faces. "Vakarian, Dr. T'soni, you two with me" I glanced over at the female quarian. "Miss Zorah, what do you want to do?" the question obviously seemed to take the individual by surprise as she began giving off a whole host of confused mannerisms.

"Commander?" she spluttered nervously.

"Do you want to stay here or come with me, I'll leave this decision up to you" I turned to fix Alenko with a hard stare as I continued talking. "I'm sure that colonist, what was his name?" Williams chipped in at this particular point.

"Fai Dan Sir" I nodded in a polite thank you before continuing.

"I'm sure that Fai Dan needs help getting the colony back online, Lieutenant!" the man almost seemed to jump as my words hammered in through his ear dream.

"Sir!" barked the man as he thudded to attention with parade ground precision.

"I want you to give assistance; we don't know how long we're going to be in this sector and I want this place to be a reliable supply base" the man frantically nodded his head in quiet agreement as I turned to look at Tali. "So what do you want to do, stay here and help with the reconstruction or tag along with me?" the woman seemed to pause for thought for a long moment before replying.

"If it's all right with you Shepard, I want to come along, I'll be of more use that way anyway" I silently accepted her decision.

"Alright, Vakarian!" the turian looked up from where he'd been cleaning his sniper rifle. "I want you to do an equipment check with these two" I jerked both thumbs over my shoulders at the female members of my new team. "I want to be ready to go in thirty, am I clear?"

"Clear Commander" firmly replied the C-sec Officer as he quickly began to retrieve pieces of over people's paraphernalia that had been set down all around them.

"Wrex, with me!" I ordered as my figure headed towards a small side chamber set into the far end of the cavernous room.

"What's this about Shepard?" Muttered the krogan in gravelly tones as he pulled up short behind me as I came to an abrupt halt.

"Something doesn't feel right" I quietly replied as my voice dropped down low enough to avoid being detected by the turian's species famously sharp hearing.

"You're telling me" growled the mercenary in slight frustration. "This whole planet feels wrong" he sniffed the air before speaking again. "The air smells rotten" I slowly glanced around in silent agreement as I made up my mind.

"If anything happens I want you to shoot first, don't hesitate, we can't afford to be cut off here" Wrex grunted in an approving tone as I walked past him and back towards the rest of the ground team. "Vakarian ETA"

"Ready to go in ten" came the distracted response as I walked towards a gaping hole in the wall that just happened to be overlooking the final destination; the ExoGeni building towered upwards on the horizon, its broken spires silhouetted against the fading light of the sun, but my mind was firmly distracted by the twisting river of concrete that wound its way between the two installations.

"Let's do this" I forcefully whispered to myself as I turned my back on the unwelcoming scene and strode back towards the waiting trio. "Ready to go?" I firmly enquired as my internal heads up display came back with an all clear from a system wide scan.

"Ready whenever you are Commander" replied Garrus as he rested his assault rifle on an armored shoulder.

"Good, let's go" I barked as your little group split in two as we moved off towards our different objectives.

…

"What's the plan Sheperd?" Asked Vakarain as the elevator trundled ever downwards towards the improvised vehicle depot located at one end of the skyway.

"From what Intel we have I can say that the enemy has set up a fortified position at the ExoGeni headquarters here on Feros, we need to take control of this key installation" I looked over at the floor number as I continued talking.

"Our primary objective is to find out why the geth have come to this colony, keep an eye out for anything useful, working computer terminals, internal servers, personal hard drives" I looked over at Tali as I said this. "I'm leaving that task to you" the individual nodded as she had this.

"You can count on me Commander" replied the girl in a determined tone.

"Vakarian" the man looked over at me as I spoke. "I want you keep an eye on Tali, Don't let her go off on her own, am I clear?" the turian nodded in silent understanding. "Also any locked doors are your responsibility; I take it you've had training in hacking back at C-sec?"

"I was one of the best on the course" Stated Garrus with more than a hint of pride.

"Well so was I, get over it" I snapped as my gaze fixed itself on the asari next to me.

"I expect you're wondering what your role is doctor" the woman looked at my with a pair of deep, blue eyes.

"I will do my best Commander" She whispered in a firm but ever so tentative voice.

"I expect nothing else doctor" I replied calmly as the elevator began to slow down noticeably as we drew close to the designated level. "But I need to see you in action for myself, that why I brought you along on this mission" there came a sudden ping as the lift came to a shuddering halt, moments later the doors pulled apart to eject us into a withering fire fight.

"Take cover!" I ordered as one of the Geth drones turn its attention in our direction, fortunately for everyone involved Tali didn't hesitate and as the smoke cleared all that was left was burning wreckage, pitted with gaping hole and a smoking shotgun, grasped tightly in the quarian's steady hands.

"Remind me never to piss her off" Muttered Garrus as he watched the girl give the fallen machinery a decent kick.

"Noted" I replied coldly, as I manhandled a terrified colonist out from behind cover. "Is there another way across to the ExoGeni building?" I firmly demanded as the struggling figure in front of me desperately attempted to extract himself from my grasp.

"There's a maintenance walkway that runs underneath the skyway" the man started shaking as he continued talking. "But it's infested with those weird frog, geth things and they've locked it down" I inwardly cursed as I heard this; fortunately an answer presented itself in the unmistakable shape of a Mako, ExoGeni's logo painted on the side, resting quietly in a corner of the garage.

"Plan B, move." I snapped as the four of us made a beeline towards the parked vehicle. "Tali, you're riding shotgun" the woman gave a thumbs up, which was impressive given the figure only had three fingers. "You two, in the back" I ordered as I hurled opened the reinforced drivers hatch and lowered myself in.

"Roger that" Echoed Vakarian disembodied voice over the internal headset, moments later the engine roared into life as I gunned the armoured transport out of the depot's automatic doors.

"And now to the geth base, not something an intelligent being would typically say" Doctor T'soni's voice suddenly forced its way into the cramped compartment through the vehicles on-board speakers.

"Keep the chatter to a minimum doctor or close the intercom, I don't want distractions" I muttered as the unwanted silhouette of an enemy drop ship homed into view just in front of the Mako.

"I hate those things" spat Tali as she brought the main armaments online with a quick dance of her hands over the control panel.

"What's going on Commander?" quickly enquired Garrus as a sudden vibration thudded through the armored shell surrounding them.

"Enemy troop ship just turned up, it's dropping in Armature class units, they're trying block us in" I explained as the insect shaped vessel pulled an emergency manoeuvre and vanished from view overhead.

"Why did it leave?" Asked the quarian as I slowly adjusted my grip on the controls.

"Don't know, don't care" I calmly replied as my foot started fanning the throttle, building up the revs; I glanced over at the woman next to me who was starting to look more than a little nervous. "Hold on" I stated coldly as my right hand pulled the well worn sunglasses out of a coat pocket and placed them on my face in an unnerving motion.

"Shepard?" but the question was never answered as moments later there came a squeal of burning tires as I slammed the Mako into second gear and floored the engine; the effect was rather unwelcome for those in the rear compartment, who suddenly found themselves being thrown around like a leaf in a hurricane as we thundered over the crumbling roadway towards the waiting blockade

"Keelah" screamed Tali as one of the armored walkers' slammed bodily into the front of the vehicle as we smashed through the defensive line.

"Get off!" I snapped angrily as I flicked the wheel viciously, sending the enemy crashing to one side and out of site. "How far are we to the nearest cover point?" I demanded in focused tones as a glowing blue ball of plasma flashed past one of the side windows and hurtled into the ground with a roar.

"At least a quarter of a mile" replied my co-driver as there came a unexpected burst of static from over the external network as we began picking up a weak comm-signal.

"The last group went south, what are they looking for?" I pressed a robotic finger into my left ear.

"Vakarian, did you hear that?" there was short pause only broken by swearing as we vaulted over a large section broken road. "Vakarian!"

"Hang on I'm trying to isolate the signal" snapped back the turian's reply. "It would be easier if you weren't driving like a crazy person!" I allowed a slight smile to play across my face as I heard this before giving the wheel a sharp jerk to one side so that the entire vehicle jumped around wildly; I didn't clearly hear what the C-sec officer said next but whatever it was it wasn't pleasant as the trail of obscenities clearly indicated. "Any luck?" I shouted as a rocked slammed into the weakening shields.

"I can't pinpoint the location through all of the geth interference" came the frustrated response.

"Keep trying" I ordered as a second burst of radio chatter came echoing in over the network.

"Any sign of movement? Lizbeth could still be in there; it's only been a few days" I snapped off a quick stare at my companion as we heard this.

"What do you think Commander?" asked Tali as she sent an HE round hurtling down the field towards the enemy.

"Sounds like survivor chatter to me, it's too emotional to be anything else" as if to reinforce my statement the line crackled back into life.

"She my daughter, I'll wait as long as I have to" I gave the girl next to me a thoughtful look.

"Sounds like one of the research scientists survived, maybe we'll get some answers" I muttered as we rumbled into the cover of some kind of access tower that linked the skyways together.

"How do you know she works for the company?" enquired the quarian as I dropped the vehicle down to a more bearable speed.

"ExoGeni would have made sure that all their employees were housed away from the spaceport in case of emergencies" I decided not to tell her the true reason, which was being able to retrieve or purge the key personnel, whatever the parent company sure fit.

"We've got movement, some kind of vehicle, not one of the geth" I snapped my head around as we heard this.

"They've got us on visual, we must be close" Stated Tali as she began scanning the nearby surroundings.

"Dealing with the geth is more important Commander" said Garrus as he joined in on the conversation over the speakers. "Should we really be stopping?" I didn't bother to reply as I my hand pressed the rear door release button.

"Vakarian you've got guard duty" I quietly instructed over my shoulder as I softly edged my way towards a small access ramp that seemed to lead off down into the bowels of the installation. "I've got a bad feeling about this" I whispered as I pulled the Phalanx out of its holster. And I was right

…..

**(I hope you like this chapter, sorry it's short, please leave comments)**

**(Sincerely Gods-own)**


	12. Chapter 12: Into the darkness

**(Here is the next chapter, sorry for the wait but reality came a calling)  
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**(Do let me know what you think of this chapter)  
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**(Sincerely Gods-own)  
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**(Update note please read footnote for more details)  
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* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12: Into the darkness<strong>

"Well that was pleasant" grumbled Tali as we clambered back into the waiting Mako.

"Could have been worse." retorted Garrus as his voice echoed out of the overhead speakers. "They could have been shooting at you."

"I probably would have preferred it" Muttered the girl as she began fiddling with a sub-menu on a control panel.

"That's enough" I forcefully stated as the engine roared once more into life. "Stay focused on the task at hand." but even as I said this my mind began picking over the last few moments, silently analysing and estimating potential outcomes.

* * *

><p>"<em>That's close enough!" nervously shouted an armed man, who had a bureaucratic air about him.<em>

"_Relax Jeong." angrily snapped a woman who came striding over from behind a hastily erected barricade. "They're obviously not Geth." her voice was unmistakably the same one from the broken radio transmissions._

"_Get back Juliana" the man's movement start to become jarring, erratic, it wasn't a reassuring sign. "Who are you, what do you want?" as I heard this I calmly pushed my side arm back into its holster that was discreetly hidden underneath the dark folds of the coat._

"_I don't like people threatening me" I firmly stated in ice cold tones "I'm giving you one chance, Put your weapon down!" I reinforced the last four words with a flexing of a gloved hand._

"_Don't worry about him, he only cares about the company" said the woman in a scalding voice, I remained noticeably silent on the matter as the two individuals in front of me began bickering amongst each other. "I'm just happy to see a friendly face; I thought that we were the only humans left on this planet" An unmistakable look of discomfort spread across Jeong's face as he heard this and I decided to press the point in an attempt to find out more information._

"_Fai Dan and some of the colonists are still alive" I explained as my eyes scrutinised the surrounding faces from behind the cover of the tinted sunglasses and betrayed an awful lot._

"_I thought you said they were all dead" Snapped Juliana in shocked anger as she turned a scathing eye on the company bureaucrat._

"_I said they were _probably_ all dead" replied the man who was starting to sweat under the increased pressure we were putting on him._

"_They're surviving despite everything that the geth have done to them" Added Doctor T'soni with a noticeable hint of pride in her voice._

"_We know what that's like, those damn synthetics are relentless" I felt a slight twitch of silent annoyance as the unrealized insult hit home._

"_Can you tell me why they're here?" my voice coldly enquired as I began throwing together a potential list of questions that I wanted answered, unfortunately Jeong wasn't going to be cooperative and he let me know it almost straight away._

"_You see" he hastily spluttered in peeved frustration. "They're not here to save us, we should just wait for company support before…" but Juliana interrupted him before he could finish._

"_Ignore him, the geth are up in the ExoGeni headquarters, which as you can see is just further along the skyway" I only half listened to the woman's explanation as my mind began to become fixated on a single issue._

"_Why didn't ExoGeni send a recovery and retrieval team when the colony went dark?" I silently thought as the annoying administrator interrupted once more._

"_Those headquarters are private property soldier, remove the geth and nothing else" my normally controlled temper spiked ever so slightly._

"_I'm not interested in your company secrets and even if I were, what are you going to do about it?" I firmly spat as I turn my back on the survivors and headed towards the exit ramp._

"_Commander!" I felt a hand slightly grab hold of a coat sleeve as the sound of Juliana's voice forced its way into my right ear._

"_What?" I quietly but firmly demand as I half turned to look at the woman._

"_My daughter, Lizbeth, she was working in that building, she missing, I…" the individual trailed off, not able to finish the sentence._

"_They shouldn't waste time poking around" hastily grumbled Jeong "We can do a proper accounting of our casualties after the geth are gone" the woman spun to face him she heard this._

"_That's my daughter you're talking about!" angrily retorted Juliana "She's still alive, I know it"_

"_Or she could be dead" I coldly stated, the horrified expression which spread across the mother's face didn't even phase me as I continued talking "Just because she's your daughter doesn't mean she'll still be alive, the universe is cruel like that" the female figure began to cry as she heard this and for once I felt something stirring deep inside my mind. "What's her name?" I asked softly as I turned to leave._

"_Lizbeth, Lizbeth Baynham" I didn't bother to look at her as I replied._

"_I'll have a look, but I'm won't promise anything" my voice echoed back down the ramp as the three of us disappeared from view._

* * *

><p>"Did you notice anything unusual when we were down there?" Tali looked over from the control panel as the mako trundled along over the broken roadway.<p>

"Do you mean the way they were acting?" She replied hesitantly.

"Yes" I pushed the engine ever so slightly as we began to driving up a slight incline. "Did anything strike you as odd?" the quarian paused as she cast her mind back for half a moment.

"Some of them didn't seem too happy with the fact that the colony is still standing" I nodded in agreement as the vehicle swayed around a tight corner as we continued ever upwards.

"Especially that company bureaucrat." I added as I mentally requested an ExoGeni employee register for this colony from my internal hard drive. "He almost changed colour when I told him" I didn't even need to see the suited figure's face to tell that a confused expression was playing across hers.

"What do you think it means Commander?" asked the woman as I made sure that no one was listening in from the crew compartment.

"Have you finished that air analysis that I asked for?" yet another pause as she quickly scrolled through her helmet internal display.

"It finished just as we were crossing the first section of skyway, I haven't had chance to look at it yet" a long silence followed as the young quarian read the contents of the report.

"Well, what's it say?" I asked as sunlight began to be seen piercing in from the final exit at the far end of an immense covered road section.

"I don't know" spluttered the woman as she desperately attempted to make sense of what she was seeing. "My air filters are detecting large amounts of a foreign material in the atmosphere at the spaceport"

"Organic or artificial?" I enquired as my neural implants displayed a long list of flagged alerts on command.

"Organic, it seems to be some kind of pollen or maybe spores, I can't tell" I glanced at the bio-hazard warnings that had piled up in the brief time I'd been here; it was becoming obvious that something sinister was going on behind the scenes and we weren't privy to that particular information.

"That explains the bureaucrat's reaction" I stated as we raced towards the exit. "They've probably been exposing the colonist to something" understandably Tali wasn't all that impressed with this revelation.

"That's horrible!" she stammered shocked revulsion as I glanced over at her so as not to be blinded by the Mako's sudden emergence into the burning bright light of day.

"I had a feeling that something was going on when we first landed" I added as I knocked the engine down a gear. "But I couldn't be sure"

"Then why didn't you say something?" spluttered the teenager, who was obviously unhappy at this additional detail.

"Because there's a time and a place for everything Miss Zorah" I firmly replied as the unmistakable outline of geth appeared, silhouetted against the skyline. "And at this exact moment in time it is neither the place nor the time for it, do I make myself clear?" my tone didn't leave much to the imagination and she now it.

"Yes Commander" Tali muttered quietly as I turned my attention back towards the rapidly approaching enemy. "I understand"

"When you have a command of your own you'll understand" I muttered as the armoured vehicle began to come under fire from the distance assailants. "That's the price you pay when you lead" I added as an explosion violently jolted the transport to one side.

"By the spirits what's going on up there?" frantically demanded Vakarian over the comm. "I've been on smoother HALO drops when I was in the army" there was a second, large detonation that almost flipped the Mako end over end. "Shepard!" angrily shouted the turian as an all too noticeable thud of something soft slammed into a nearby bulkhead. "What the spirits are you playing at?"

"Almost there" I replied distractedly as yet another geth found itself being crushed under the all-terrain tires.

"Shields at fifty percent strength." Stated Tali seconds before the onboard radio crackled into life once more.

"You owe us for this; the skyway is crawling with geth" I glanced over at my co-driver as I heard this.

"Vakarian, where did that transmission come from?" I quickly demanded as I pushed the APV to its limits.

"Looks like a privately owned ship, it just dropped in from out of nowhere" came the flustered reply as Garrus angrily attempted to work the holographic display set into the back of the passenger compartment.

"What kind of sane person does something like that?" enquired Dr. T'soni who seemed to be better with technology in this particular instance as a small screen flicker into life in between the two of us.

"Someone getting paid" I replied as the asari's face homed into view from the over end of the camera feed. "The question is, are they going to be a help or a hindrance?" I wondered aloud as more radio chatter came in over the line.

"Wait, shut down the comm, we've got in coming geth, damn it, shut down the comm!" the line went dead.

"That didn't sound good" quietly muttered Tali as we drew ever closer to the main building.

"It's not our concern" I firmly stated as the front entrance of the complex finally appeared.

"The mission takes precedence" I added as the automatic doors pulled apart to let us through.

"And here I thought that the assignment was going to be easy" grumbled Garrus as the Mako came to a shuddering halt.

"Nothing is ever easy" I coldly replied as the rear exit light flashed as the passengers dismounted from the vehicle; the waiting scene was one of total destruction, broken industrial equipment littered the surrounding space and every once in a while there was the unmistakable stench of burning flesh.

"I've got a bad feeling about this" Muttered the turian as we continued ever onwards.

"Stay focused" I ordered in steely tones as my internal radar picked up movement at the far end of the lobby.

"We've got company!" shouted Tali as a rocked soared overhead.

"Take cover!" I roared as out of the corner of my vision I sure enemy shock troopers moving down a nearby ramp towards our position, the rest of the team responded without pause and threw themselves behind whatever was at hand.

"Vakarian take that bastard down!" I bellowed over the sound of explosions as a third projectile ripped apart the fallen pillar that I was hiding behind.

"Hold on" came the surprisingly calm reply as I saw the C-sec officer slowly lining up the shot.

"Vakarian!" I snarled as I was forced to hurl myself out into an open space to avoid the blast radius of yet another detonation, just as I expected to take a final flaming rocket to the face a shot rang out across the battlefield and moments later I glimpsed the headless enemy tumbling backwards as Garrus's bullet found it mark.

"Scoped and dropped" crowed the alien as he came sprinting across to where I lay.

"Brag later, fight now!" I snapped as he helped me back into cover.

"Don't worry I will" chuckled the turian as he sent yet another opponent thundering to the brittle floor in a shower of white fluid and as soon as the fire fight had started it was over with only smoking wreckage as proof of what had occurred.

"Shout out if you're hurt!" I ordered as the last few vestiges of battle died away, fortunately for everyone we'd seemed to have gotten through the ambush relatively unscathed, which meant that our party could presses onwards without any delays or it should have been because moments later as we reached the crest of the nearby ramp an unwonted event confronted us.

"Damn it all" I quietly muttered in frustration as my outline came to a halt in front of the glowing energy field which stretched, blocking the way ahead.

"We're not getting through that without heavy weapons" stated the C-sec officer as he ran a gauntleted claw across its shimmering surface.

"Vakarian, T'soni try and hack the shield, I'll take Miss Zorah and backtrack to see if there's another way in" everyone quickly slipped into their allotted roles as I retraced my steps through the lobby.

"Looks like a way in through here" said Tali, who was carefully looking over a nearby railing and into the darkness below.

"Can we get back up?" my voice calmly enquired as I joined her at the edge.

"It looks like a one way trip Commander" replied the young quarian as she turned on a helmet light which cut through the clinging shadows that shrouded most of pit from view. "I think we can get down ok, but it seems too steep to clamber back up" I shook my head in discouragement as I heard this.

"Not an option, we'll keep looking" I stated as the two of us turn our attentions back to the task at hand and half a second later my patience was rewarded with a welcomed discovery.

"Got a door here" I shouted over my shoulder as I dragged a large section of sheet metal away from the place where it had fallen, hidden behind, tucked away was an unassuming door that seemed completely intact. "I've got this, cover me" I quietly ordered as I heard the tell-tale sounds of my companion coming to a standstill behind me.

"You can count on me Commander" replied the unseen figure as my neural implants picked up the unmistakable notes of a shotgun stock unfolding behind me; it wasn't needed for moments later the weak encryption broke on the security panel and the metal portal slipped backwards to allow us entry.

"I've got point" I whispered as my sidearm rose up to eye leave as we slowly advanced down the narrow passageway.

"My scanner is jammed" quietly stated the girl as she began fiddling with her omni-tool.

"So is mine." I added as a small chamber came into view, unfortunately as I took a step out into the opened space an almost unbelievable impact sent me smashing into the rock hard floor, a split second later a bone shattering force came crashing down onto my chest as the front leg of an armature lifted itself off of me to repeat the action; somehow I managed to grab hold of the offending limb and wrestled it to a standstill as the geth engine desperately attempted to crush the life out of me. "Do something!" I whispered between clenched teeth as the synthetic muscles in my arms began to groan under the strains placed upon them.

"Get off him" shouted Tali in unmistakable anger as she vaulted onto the back of the gleaming metal constructed. "Get off!" she bellowed just before ramming a combat knife into the joint at the base of the things head, a stream of milky liquid spilled forth as the blade cut deep into a major hydraulic line; almost as this happened the armoured giant began charging up its main gun in one last attempt to finish me off and it damn well nearly did if it hadn't been for the young quarian, who reached around and pulled out the enemy's main power cable in a shower of sparks.

"Bloody die!" I snarled in frustration as my right foot braced itself under the things stomach and gave a gut wrenching push as I hurled the automaton backwards onto its armoured casing, moments later this was followed up by the sound of tearing metal as both of my combat blades buried themselves into the opponents chest cavity; the world went white as the thing's power core overloaded in a blind ball of energy that sent hurtling into a nearby wall and an all too familiar coppery taste filled my mouth.

"Shepard!" the concerned voice woke me from my dazed haze as a helping hand dragged me upright "Are you all right?" warnings filled the internal display as I glanced over at the worried woman in front of me.

"I'm fine" I wheezed as alerts continued to popping up all over the place. "You?" the quarian hastily gave the equivalent of a thumbs up.

"Not suit punctures Commander, I'm ready to go" I slowly nodded my head as I retrieved my fallen sidearm, it was an action that I'd regretted almost straight away, the surrounding landscape suddenly blurred as the copper tasted rushed back to the fore and my form slumped ever so slightly against the wall.

"Commander, are you alright?" quickly spluttered the teenager as she rushed to my side.

"I'm fine, just a bit groggy" I quietly muttered. "Go and see if there is a way through" my voice ordered as my brain staggered about in the darkness trying to find the light switch.

"Yes Commander" replied the female figure in concerned tones as she moved off across the room, no sooner had the girl stumbled out of sight than I let out a throaty rumble quickly followed by a large wad of spittle that was almost totally made up of blood; health warnings continued to flashed as I manually switched off the internal monitoring system and pushed the flashing signals to one side as the cold feeling of medi-gel flooding through my system. "Commander?" I glanced up to see a concerned expression spreading across the woman's face as she came walking back towards my location.

"Is there a way through?" I forcefully demanded in one more desperate attempt to distract my companion from the current situation.

"No, it's a dead end" She sadly whispered as I straightened myself up with only a hint of stiffness.

"Looks like we're going down your hole then" I muttered as a sharp ache continued to throb throughout my being. "Let double back and pick up the others" as I stepped past the waiting girl I softly tapped her on the shoulder with a loose fist. "And Tali"

"Yes Commander?"

"Thanks" I could have sworn that her chest seemed to swell as she heard this, but it could just have been my imagination as the two of us traipsed back across lobby.

"Vakarian!"

"What?" snapped Garrus as he stood up from his allotted task.

"Having any luck?" the turian throw up his hands in frustration.

"They got a massive power cable feeding in from the other side, as the human saying goes, 'I can't do jack shit'" I spat out more copper tasting fluid as I heard this.

"Pack it in, we've found another way into the complex" this seemed to be music to the C-sec officer ears as he gave out a deep sigh of relief only moments after hearing this.

"Finally, I was starting to think that we'd need to blow the damn doors off" I gave an uncaring look as I heard this.

"Just get down the whole" my order was understandably met with bemused looks from the half of the team as we approached the railed drop.

"You can't be serous" spluttered Vakarian as he glanced down into the pitch blackness beneath him.

"This can't be safe" added T'soni as she inched ever closer to the edge.

"It's not" I replied in a deadpan tone as my foot connected with the woman's backside, her scream echoed around the surrounding space as she disappeared from site.

"I'll let myself down" hastily uttered the C-sec officer as he raised his hands up in mock surrender.

"It's not too deep you can drop down" I stated as an almost silent trail of insults floated up from the lower level at the same time. "Are you hurt Doctor T'soni?" I added.

"I'm fine Commander" came the curt response from out of the gloom.

"You heard her" I snapped as I jabbed a finger towards the remaining duo. "Get moving" I watched Garrus quickly dropping down into the gloom before silently helping Miss Zorah down carefully onto the rubble strewn floor below.

"All clear down here Shepard" came the response from out of the gloom, seconds later the clinging abyss enveloped me as I launched myself effortlessly into the waiting rift; the ground rushed up and a moment later the all too familiar sensation of the hard ground thundering into the soles of my feet.

"You all right Commander?"

"I'm fine" the lie hung in my mouth for longer than I had expected as the throbbing pain returned with renewed intensity. "Let's move!" no one challenged the order, something I was silently grateful for as the world continued to sift out of focus ever so often as we carefully picked our way through the dimly lit corridor.

"I have a bad feeling about this" nervously whispered the doctor as we exited into some kind of abandoned subterranean vault and she was right.

"Down!" Roared Vakarian as a round slammed effortlessly into the asari's protective field.

"Damn it!" the voice was unfamiliar and feminine. "I'm so sorry, I thought you were the geth or one of those varen" a decaying corpse helped to reinforce her argument.

"Who are you and what are you doing here" I demanded in forceful tones as the woman, who was in her early twenties gingerly stepped out from behind a pile of wreckage.

"It's my own fault, everyone else was running and I stayed to back up date" I listened in total silence as the individual in front of me desperately attempted to cover up whatever she was doing here. "Next thing I knew the geth ship latched on and the power went out" my facial recognition software came back with a result as the deception drew towards a conclusion.

"I was trapped, I tried to get out but the way was blocked" unfortunately my patience had reached its end, not help by what I was starting to suspect was a fractured rib or two.

"That's enough!" I coldly snapped as the figure started to tremble in front of me. "I know your Lizbeth Baynham, I know that ExoGeni is conducting some kind of legal research here" I took a determined step towards her as I said this. "And you're going to tell me what's going on" the tone of my voice didn't allow any room for doubt.

"I don't know for certain, but I'm guessing that they're here for the Thorian" stammered the missing scientist as she fixed me with an ashamed expression.

"Thorian, what is that exactly?" asked Tali as she glanced over at me in confusion.

"No idea, my word recognition software is turning up nothing" I replied as I mentally triggered the search once more.

"It's an indigenous life-form" this sudden explanation brought a forced hush to the proceedings. "ExoGeni was studying it" Garrus started to openly swear as I desperately attempted to get through to the rest of my team.

"Damn it all" I muttered as every attempt failed. "The geth must have but up jamming equipment"

"This just keeps getting better and better" Muttered the turian angrily as he began fiddling with his assault rifle.

"Stow it" I snapped forcefully as my attentions turned back to the task at hand. "Why would the geth be interested in this Thorian creature?" the research thought for a moment before answering.

"I don't know, I could find out, but not with those things crawling around" more lies, but at this exact moment I had other more pressing things on my mind.

"Alright, this is the game plan" I looked over at everyone as I said this. "Our primary objective is to somehow disable or destroy the geth ship powering the local defences." I japed a finger at the waiting the civilian. "We then extracted Ms. Baynham to a secure location, am I clear!" the chorus of yes's that echoed out over the surrounding space. "Let's move!" and with that our little party moved off into the clinging gloom.

* * *

><p>"Goddess they just keep coming!" franticly shouted T'soni as yet another varren came hurtling over the moss covered floor towards our position.<p>

"Keep shooting" I calmly ordered as my combat blade slipped cleanly into the throat of a second creature that had vaulted over a nearby railing. "Vakarian, we need that door open" unfortunately the portal in question refused to budge an inch.

"I need more time!" heatedly replied the turian as he anxiously fidgeted with an access panel.

"You don't have time" I snapped as my gun blasted a third bipedal monster that was thundering through the air towards us. "Tali help him" the woman gave a silent nod as she slide past me with an all most feline like feel about her.

"We can't keep this up Commander" stated the doctor as she threw an enraged predator backwards end over end.

"We're almost there" Shouted the quarian engineer as sparks started to pour out of the opened security panel.

"Almost isn't good enough Miss Zorah" I retorted as my boot connected heavily with a scaly face. "Get it done!" this was easier said than done as a split-second later a set of razor sharp jaws reared up at the girl's helmeted face, it never reached it because almost on impulse my arm materialised in front of her.

"Shepard!" screamed the teenager as the monster's teeth biting down hard onto the offered appendage.

"Get the door open!" I snarled from in between clenched teeth as I struggled with the thrashing varren. "Nothing else matters"

"Noted" said Garrus calmly as he suddenly came to my rescue, there was a flash of steel and a fountain of blood as the turian's blade found its mark.

"The doors open!" the sudden announcement was followed by the sound of stampeding feet as the four of us made a mad dash for the exit, with what appeared to be a small army of carnivorous creatures in hot pursuit.

"Close it!" yelled doctor T'soni as we thundered past a second set of security gates and to give credit where credits due Vakarian did an almost seamless sliding shot that thundered into the door controls.

"Move!" I roared as the deafening alarm that erupted all around us heralded the sealing of this particular section.

"Why can't we ever do something right" Spluttered Tali in between breathless gasped as we dived frantically towards the rapidly closing access hatch; the thud that quickly followed my passing clearly indicated the closeness of this near miss.

"Anyone hurt?" I grumbled from my floored position.

"I'm fine" wearily replied Garrus.

"Me too" added Liara.

"Commander you're bleeding" the teenager's concerned voice cut through the relieved silence like cold plasma; almost without think I raised the offending arm into the air to inspect the damage and received a face full of black synthetic fluid for my effort. "Don't move" firmly stated the young quarian as she took on a professional air "I need to check the damage" as this was happening I glanced over at the other members of my squad, who were standing with concerned looks on their faces.

"Go and scout out the stairs" I coldly ordered "I want to know what we're walking into" the duo wordlessly obeyed and vanished from view.

"You don't need to be so harsh with them Commander, their only concern about your well-being" quietly chided the female engineer as she carefully removed the dented casing from my forearm, along its length there were a semicircle series of holes drilled in through its reinforced surface.

"I didn't realise that you'd become my councillor Tali" I quietly muttered, this understandably had a rather negative impact on the girl, who fell deathly quiet when she heard this, time suddenly seemed to drag and the atmosphere almost became unbearable.

"I sorry" my sudden apology seemed to take the teenager by surprise because she stated spluttering out a reply, which I duly interrupted with a wave of my free hand. "Enough already" I stated as my on-board software detected the missing prosthetic components. "I was apologising for what happened back on board the Normandy" I slowly stared up at the cracked ceiling as I continued talking. "I was unprofessional and I apologise"

"You don't have to apologize Commander." replied my team mate as she turned her attention back to the task at hand. "It was partly my fault anyway, the topic was obviously sensitive to you and I didn't notice" I brushed her sentiment aside with yet another wave of my hand.

"It's not a sensitive issue Miss Zorah, it's just that I don't particularly like explaining my profession to people." silence flooded into the room as the woman heard this and it continued for quite a while until the quarian worked up the courage to ask the question which I knew was playing on her mind.

"How did Garrus know that you were an A-rank Commander?" it was a fair query and given my previous indiscretion I felt ever so slightly compelled to answer her.

"Because of my name Tali, he knew because of my name" the answer came out with more than just a hint of emotion and the woman picked up on it straight away.

"If you don't want to talk about…" but I stopped her in mid-sentence.

"You would know about it" I stated quietly as I indicated for her to keep talking.

"Is your name well known Commander?" the sudden question took my mind by surprise as I heard it.

"What?"

"You said that he recognized your name" my face took on an all more serious expression as the words left the individual's helmet speakers.

"You don't understand" I whispered "It's because of my name that he knows my rank nothing else." it was obvious that she didn't understand and I inwardly side as I found myself having to explain to her. "When someone becomes a corporate agent the parent company will legally change their first name so that it matches your designated rank"

"They took your name?" she softly enquired as her hands came to a gentle halt.

"Yes, along with over things" I quietly replied as my good hand flexed on mental command.

"That's horrible" said Tali as her eyes seemed to take on a sad feeling from behind the tinted visor.

"That life" I retorted in cold tones; silence descended once more as the girl returned to the tedious task of fixing the damage prosthetic.

"You were lucky Commander, the combat blade stop the top jaw from digging in" the alien figure pointed at the noticeable series of scratch marks cut into the metal alloy as she continued talking. "I can't say the same about the over side" whispered the young quarian as the bleeding robotic limb was turned over to reveal the nasty puncture wounds underneath.

"Fortunately the reinforced plating stopped most of the force so only about the first half an inch of the tooth penetrated the synthetic muscle" moments later they came a high pitched fizzing as the girl removed a small spray bottle from her belt and empty the contents onto the exposed surface. "This is medical sealant" explained the woman as she professionally reattached the outer casing. "We use it to seal suit tears in an emergency, so it should stop the fluid loss until we can get you back to the Normandy for proper treatment." I nodded in thanks as she helped me back to my feet, her hands where dark black with the liquid that had leaked from the synthetic muscle bundles.

"Sorry about the mess." I muttered as the girl calmly wiped the muck off onto her suit.

"Please Shepard, I'm an engineer, if I'm not coated in something every day I'm not doing my job" I chuckled slightly as I heard this.

"I'll take your word for it miss." I added, as my eyes waited to see if the girl's mind would catch up to what her mouth had said; it took about five seconds.

"Keelah, I didn't mean it like that" Spluttered the teenager in blazing embarrassment has her words hit home. "I meant, what I mean is…" I raised a hand softly to calm the flustered figure.

"I was joking, calm down" the woman stood there fidgeting nervously as I slow pushed the sunglass back onto my face.

"Thanks for putting up with me Commander" whispered the girl as I finished an equipment check. "You're a good person" the sentence stung the back of my mind as I heard it.

"No I'm not" I coldly replied "I'm really not."

* * *

><p>"How's your arm Commander?" asked Vakarian as the two of us came sauntering up the stairs towards them.<p>

"I'm fine, give me a sit-rep" I ordered in a firm tone as everyone fell in behind me as we started off down a well-lit corridor.

"We had a look about, this seems to lead into the main building, no one seems to be about" as our little group turned a corner I came face to face with a dead krogan slumped backwards over a pile of rubble.

"What about him?" I quietly demanded.

"Well no one living at any rate" retorted the turian calmly as I dragged the corpse to one side to get a better look.

"Did you kill him?" I softly enquired as my metallic hand slowly traced the gapping knife wound that ran the length of the monster's throat.

"Found him like that, he's been dead for about an hour given his body temperature" I felt the hairs stick up on the back of my neck as I heard this.

"What do you think happened Commander?" nervously asked T'soni as she lent in over my shoulder to get a better look.

"I don't know and I don't care" I sternly replied as I straightened myself up. "Let move" but we'd hadn't even gone more than a dozen steps before Tali found something interesting.

"I've got a dater terminal!" suddenly shouted the girl as she poked her head around a corner.

"Is it working?" I determinedly snapped as everyone else came stomping over towards the woman's location.

"Seems to be, but I can't get past the bosh'tet VI" the humming display homed into view as I came to a shuddering halt in front of it.

"Do you want me to have a crack at it Commander?" asked Garrus as he glanced at the flicking image currently being displayed.

"No, this task is too important to delegate to someone else, I'll do it myself, keep me covered and keep your eyes open." I didn't bother to check to see if any of them had heard as my mind turned to the arduous task of overcoming the company's private security protocols; fortunately for everyone involved the access terminal had a built-in USB slot around the back, it provided a direct route into the core base unit without needing to hack through the wireless protection.

"How's it coming Commander" asked Vakarian quietly as he watched me plug myself into the hardware.

"It would be easier if you were quiet." I softly muttered as wave after wave of programme dater began pouring down my internal heads up display, minute started tick by as the virtual intelligence frantically attempted to evict me from its server. "Damn it all" I spat as yet another door was closed to me. "Who the hell wrote this thing?" I inaudibly spat as my neural implants began to form countermeasures to be deployed, but it all came to nothing as moments later the last line of defence crumbled as a small attacking virus finally found its mark.

"I'm in." my voice stated as I started to rifle through ExoGeni's classified files.

"Have you found anything commander?" softly whispered Tali as she glanced at the flickering display in front of her.

"Yes" I replied. "I found the executives server, looks like ExoGeni's been doing some serious research on this Thorian creature."

"What kind of research?" asked Garrus as he looked down at me from my prone position.

"Mostly bio-engineering, this thing seems to have some kind of mind control ability that the company wanted to exploit." I flicked my eyes to one side to analyse a new date file before continuing the explanation. "Looks like the creature manages this by infecting its hosts via clouds of spores which leech into their central nervous system." I heard a small gasp from behind me as the young quarian heard this.

"Keelah, the air scan." I inwardly cursed as the woman suddenly blurted this information out to the world at large.

"Air scan, what air scan?" demanded Garrus with a note of frustration in his voice.

"I had Tali run an atmospheric scan while we were at the spaceport" understandably this particular revelation didn't go down too well with the other members of my squad.

"Spirits, why didn't you tell us!" snapped the turian as he began to pace behind me.

"Because it wouldn't have done any good" I firmly retorted "And in the worst case it could have tip off the Thorian that we knew that something was going on." I glanced up at the irritated alien as I said this. "Did you want that?"

"No Commander" gruffly whispered the individual as he dropped his head in defeat.

"What did the atmospheric analysis show?" Asked T'soni with obvious interest; I turned back to the task at hand as Miss Zorah took over the explanation at this point.

"It showed that the air both at and around the Zhu's hope colony was heavily laced with some kind of organic matter, probably either pollen or spores."

"We can say it spores by this point." snapped the C-sec officer to no one in general.

"But how did the Thorian infect the colonist?" openly enquired the doctor allowed.

"That's rather easy" I stated over my right shoulder. "ExoGeni allowed it." the look of horror that could be felt spreading out was not unexpected if not totally wanted.

"Why?" whispered the horrified woman as I continued my in-depth examination of the company's dirty secrets.

"It allowed them to gather research data on live subjects in a controlled environment, or at least one that didn't involve a lab.

"You don't sound too shocked Commander." said Garrus as he glanced in my general direction.

"Why should I be?" I calmly replied.

"Because it's inhumane and cruel" retorted the alien in a slightly raised voice.

"The end justifies the means." my voice stated in a cold tone as I continued talking. "You and I may not like it but it made sense to ExoGeni" I kept scrolling through the wealth of information "And that's all that matters." this sentence seemed to have a negative impact on the surrounding atmosphere as an all too uncomfortable feeling descended once more.

"But doesn't it horrify you Commander?" quietly enquired Tali as she took a step towards me.

"I've worked in the private sector for a long time Miss Zorah, after a while you just stop caring" at that moment something else caught my attention. "Looks like we've been lied to people" I added.

"Miss Baynham?" asked Garrus, it wasn't really a question.

"She worked as part of the monitoring team for Zho's hope until recently" I explained.

"Then why didn't she tell us about what was going on?" added Doctor T'soni in confusion.

"Probably because she was scared." muttered Vakarian.

"She had reason to be" I said as my hand extracted the cable from the back of the machine. "The company records show that she'd been put on probation after repeatedly questioning the nature of the project"

"So she was going to be fired?" naively asked Tali.

"No" I replied "It was too late for that, ExoGeni's executive board were concerned that she would alert the Citadel Council and had issued an immediate termination notice"

"But she hadn't done anything wrong!" heatedly stated the teenage quarian.

"They never do" I coldly replied as my form moved off down a ruined corridor. "They never do"

* * *

><p>Time slipped by as we worked our way deeper into the ruined complex, every once in a while the geth would sally out in a vain attempt to repulse us, only to be crushed in return.<p>

"Something's not right" Whispered Garrus as he carefully opened a side door into what turn out to be a janitor's closet. "We should be meeting much stiffer resistance if this is their primarily base of operations" I had to agree with the turian, the limited response that we'd been experiencing so far was rather underwhelming in all honesty and not something that bred confidence in ones surroundings.

"Got something." came the quiet tone over the head set.

"What you see Tali?" I enquired as everyone moved as quietly as possible towards our point woman.

"Some kind of medium-sized chamber, I think it's an anchoring point for the ship outside" I was about to ask how she knew this, but it came painfully apparent as my outline slipped effortlessly into the wait space; large metal legs jutted through the ruined masonry, power cables and dust filled the entire room from one end to the other. "The geth use these claws to anchor their ships to the sides of large buildings" stated the teenager as I quietly crawled into cover next to her.

"Crude perhaps, but very effective; how do we cut the power if it's coming from the ship?" the Doctor's question raised a good point and fortunately for once I didn't need to come up with an answer.

"It will be difficult" replied the female quarian as she quickly glanced over at the imposing metal limbs. "We can check the over claws for weakness, but the geth aren't known for sloppy workmanship" I turned my head to steer at Vakarian, who was crouched behind me.

"Do you think we can destroy one of those things?" I muttered; there was a long pause as the turain thought the matter over.

"Not without a substantial amount of explosives Commander" softly said the C-sec officer as he moved ever so slightly on his haunches.

"Alright let go" I whispered as I slowly moved to the front of the column; moments later however the game plan totally changed as we snuck closer to the edge. "Stop!" I forcefully ordered in hushed tones as the outlines of two robotic figures homed into view, from their white armour and refined equipment it pointed them out as elite opponents. "Stay here, I take care of them" I could almost feel the nervous tension seeping out of my subordinates as my outline faded from view as the cloaking software came on line; what came next wasn't pleasant, nor was it pretty, but it got the job done and as the last vestiges of life leaked out of the shocks troopers' shattered bodies I turned my mind back to the task at hand.

"Spirits Commander" quietly whispered Garrus as he lowered himself down into the synthetic carnage that surrounded me. "You don't mess around" as if to emphasise the point the alien's armoured boot clipped a decapitated head, sending it skittering across gory covered floor.

"Noted" I coldly muttered as the rest of the team made their way down to my level; almost on impulse the doctor's attention was dragged towards the unnerving artificial construct, set into the far corner of the room.

"This structure seems to have significance for the geth, is it possible they set up this room to serve as a sacred temple of sorts?" the comment obviously attracted the attention of Tali, who came sauntering over to examine the object in question.

"The geth blur the line between organic and synthetic life; it's natural to assume they seek understanding from a higher power" the quarian's explanation hit a sore point and I fell quiet as her words echoed around inside my skull.

"What do you think Commander?" the question brought me back to reality with a thud as my foot hit something hard.

"Are you alright Commander." asked Vakarian with a concerned tone as he noticed my distracted air.

"I'm fine, keep moving!" I snapped over my shoulder as I headed towards the nearest exit.

"Roger Commander." stated the turian as everyone hastily sprinted over to catch up.

"What did I say?" whispered T'soni to her female companion in a hushed tone that sounded to me like a clear shut as we walked down an empty corridor.

"I don't think you should ask the Commander stuff like that" nervously replied the teenager as we pressed ever onward.

"Will you two just shut up!" snapped the C-sec officer in frustrated tone as he glanced over at his teammates. "I can hear everything your saying." I chucked ever so slightly as I heard this.

"Looks like you learned something after all officer" I calmly stated as we walked around a corner.

"Looks like I did sir, looks like I did" the party continued on with the infiltration for a good ten or so minutes until something struck me.

"When was the last time we fought something!" I loudly barked as we came to a shuddering halt.

"Commander?" spluttered Tali in slight confusion.

"How long!" I forcefully growled.

"About fifteen minutes, why?" I openly cursed after the girl said this, much to the surprise of everyone present.

"We're in the middle of a geth stronghold, where's the gunfire, the explosions?" I glanced around at the ruined hall that we found ourselves in. "Where is the enemy?" at that exact moment I felt a cold tingle slip down my spine as I stood there in an extremely empty space.

"_Something isn't right"_ I thought as everyone slowly glanced around at their surroundings with ever increasing tension, I mentally began flipping through the settings on my optical implants, looking for anything out of the ordinary and I found it.

"Don't move" I ordered in a steady tone as my hand edged toward the holster strapped across my chest.

"Shepard?" nervously spluttered the teenage quarian as she sure my attention fixated on her and I had good reason to because even as she spoke I as was slowly watching the inferred beam that was painted on her head.

"Commander?" Vakarian's voice fell on deaf ears as the world around me began to suddenly turn monotone as combat stimulants poured through my system, time slowed and I heard blood thumping in-between my ears as I metaphorically flicked the switch.

"Move!" I roared as my left hand tore the weapon from its holster and began blasting away at the unseen sniper, who was hiding somewhere on the upper level or so I thought because as the first rounds hit home there came a withering impact that sent me hurtling backwards into a nearby wall.

"Watch your angles, there's more that one of them!" Bellowed Garrus as he started to lay down covering fire as I hastily crawled to safety. "And their using biotics!" unfortunately the shout could have come sooner as a second larger impact sent the turian slamming into the ground.

"Garrus!" screamed Tali in horror as dark blue blood started streaming from one nostril.

"Stay where you are!" I roared as my sidearm spat death at an elusive shadow which skittered from one elevated position to another. "T'soni can you drag Vakarian into cover using your biotics?" the asari glanced over at the fallen comrade for half a moment before responding.

"I can try commander"

"Don't try, do!" I ordered as a sniper round grazed past my temple, leaving the small trail of crimson in its wake; the woman hastily nodded as an almost unearthly glow spread over her forearms, moments later the floored figure skidded across the rubble strewn floor as the air around him turned blue, unfortunately for the turian the good doctor let go of him a millisecond to late and it showed as he slammed into a fallen pillar a lot harder than everyone would have wanted.

"God damn it T'soni, watch your aim!" I snapped as one of the ghostly opponents vaulted out of cover and through a nearby doorway. "Tali!" the girl looked away from priming a grenade just long enough for me to deliver my instructions at ear splitting volume. "I'm going after the other guy, stay here and deal with the sharpshooter"

"Roger Shepard" distractedly replied the quarian as she hurled the explosive device through the air towards the lone shooter, who franticly threw themselves to safety as their world turned white. "Go Commander, go!" shouted the girl as she started blasting away with her shotgun.

"Don't die!" I roared as my feet carried me out of site; light played off of a stone façade as I quietly crept down a narrow corridor, the sound of battle was a distant distraction as my internal radar flicked back into life, a split second before an armoured boot slammed into the side of my head with a vengeance, moments later this was followed up with a savages uppercut that sent me reeling into a nearby wall; it was all I could do to defend myself as the unidentified assailant laid into me with unrestrained hostility. "Get off!" I snarled "I said get off!" I lashed out with a metal kneecap, which connected with an all too satisfying thud as the air was forced out of the attackers chest, as if running on instinct I proceeded to slam an elbow into the side of the figure's face, showering me in a fountain of lilac coloured blood as the asari took a step backwards, cradling her broken nose in one hand.

"Nice to see your knack with women hasn't changed robo." obnoxiously chuckled the all too familiar voice from behind the gore covered hand.

"Hi Gwin" I calmly replied as my old colleague skilfully sidestepped the right straight and countered with a punishing palm strike into my exposed stomach; it was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p><strong>(I have been under a lot of pressure for work, which has lead to the latest chapter being delayed, i will post the ETA on my profile when the proof read gets back to me)<strong>

**(Also I was slightly disheartened to see that no one had left a comment about the latest chapter, if its not to much to ask could someone please review chapter 12, it would mean so much to me as a writer to know what people think of my work)  
><strong>

**(Sincerely Gods-own)  
><strong>


	13. Chapter 13: The heart of him

******(Here is the latest chapter, hope you guys like it)**

**(Let me know what you thing of how the story's going)  
><strong>

**(Sincerely Gods-own)  
><strong>

**Chapter 13: The heart of him **

"How's freelance work treating you?" I asked as blood began filling up the inside of my mouth.

"Can't complain, although I do miss the dental policy." coolly answered the woman as she smashed me in the face with a round house kick. "You still working for synthetic insights?" the merc asked in friendly tones.

"Going on eight years now. Two more and I get a gold watch." I retorted as my fist slammed heavily into one side of the female figures form, sending blood and breath splattering all over the floor; but even this didn't seem to totally slow the adrenaline junky as she continued to unleash a furious attack on my lower body using everything at her disposal up to and including biotics.

"Ow, someone got an upgrade" chuckled the slightly unhinged individual as she grabbed hold of my inner thigh with a slender hand. "Very nice indeed." I scowled ever so slightly as I heard this.

"Hands off sweetheart." this particular statement was followed up by an uncompromising head butt to Gwin's face that echoed around the narrow space; understandably this didn't go down so well with my assailant, who elbowed me savagely in the ribs with a muscular arm, the sharp, sudden pain which accompanied this clearly brought home the unpleasant reminder of an earlier incident.

"Oh poor baby, did that hurt?" sweetly whispered the asari as she grabbed hold of my right side. "Let Mommy make it better" the world went monotone as a wave of nausea flooded throughout my bleeding body as almost unbearable pressure was applied to the area.

"Get off!" I snarled from in between gritted teeth as I spat the gore filled contents of my mouth into the alien's face, it had the desired effect as a split second late the woman staggered back in revulsion as I followed this up with a bone braking kick to her crotch.

"You should have stayed a stripper Gwin!" my voice reverberated off the surrounding surfaces as I grabbed hold of the back of the woman's head and slammed it repeatedly into any object in easy reach. "Because you suck as an agent!" my timing could have been better, because moments later a massive amount of biotic energy erupted from the female figure, which sent me thundering backwards into a nearby wall.

"I will destroy you!" screamed the enraged individual as churning balls of blue energy wrap themselves around her hands.

"I was just thinking the same thing" I whispered as my combat blades slowly slide out to greet the asari; silence slowly filtered into the narrow space as we squared off against each other, time seemed to slow until the only things that could be heard was the beating of our heart beats, the thundering of blood through veins and the tell-tale drip of sweat on stone as reality came crashing back with a vengeance.

"Shepard!" roared the bloodthirsty merc as she sent a chaotic wave of biotic power surging down the corridor towards me, as it hit I mentally activated built-in buffers which glowed white with the strain as I counter charged back down towards her, sparks flying all over the place as my weapons scraped along the walls behind me.

"Gwin!" I snarled coldly as we slammed into each over with ear splitting force, blades and biotics whipping all around as the two of us desperately attempted to kill one another.

"Why won't you die!" muttered the woman as one of her hands wrapped itself around my left wrist, which was in the process of trying to shove a piece of sharpened metal into the asari's face.

"You talk too much" I spat as we traded vicious words and hits with one another, blood and bile mixed together as the world began slurring at the edges as the damage built up for both of us.

"You're getting old cyborg." wearily chuckled my opponent from in between breathless gasps.

"Look who's talking" I retorted quietly "Your six hundred years my senior, and it shows; is it just me or are your breast starting to sag?" an unhappy scowl suddenly flashed across the woman's face as she heard this.

"I thought you humans didn't talk about a ladies age" snapped Gwin angrily.

"I don't see any ladies here, do you?" that was the final straw, something broke inside the alien's head and she let out an unearthly scream. No scratch that, it wasn't a scream. It was a shriek, like the old banshees of legend, which came close to tearing my eardrums.

"I'll kill you, I'll fucking kill you!" screeched the enraged alien as her hands tightened like a vice around my throat, but this time I had had enough and ended it by slamming an elbow into the woman's temple, this was savagely followed up with a body throw which sent her hurtling into a mountain of rubble; moments later my boot pressed down on the floored figure's airway.

"You lose Gwin" I softly whispered as I squeezed the life out of the doomed opponent.

"Oh god their everywhere!" the wailing transmission blared across the static cutting short the finite moment. "Close the bloody door, close it!" unfortunately for the frantic speaker the order was never completed as the sounds of terrified screaming clearly indicated.

"That your crew?" I calmly enquired as I removed the offending limb from the defeated asari's neck.

"Not anymore by the sounds of it." harshly rasped the mercenary as she softly massaged the brushed section of flesh. "They worked for ExoGeni anyway, not me."

"Did they tell you what was going on?" the woman shook her head as she responded.

"I got a call from someone that I know on the citadel, ExoGeni wanted someone to lead one of their spec ops teams on a mission, the terms were good, double my usual rates so I accepted; I didn't ask too many questions, you know how it is"

"I know." I calmly replied as a hand moved towards my earpiece. "Miss Zorah do you copy?" there was a long pause as someone on the other end battled with the geth interference.

"Sheperd are you alright?" the worried voice of the young quarian echoed out brokenly from the implant. "We heard a lot of commotion from up above us and were about to investigate"

"I'm alright; did you take care of the sniper?" I looked down at Gwen as I said this.

"Yes, Liara and I managed to flush him out; he won't be shooting at us anymore" the hard edge that travelled over the airwaves quietly indicated that it hadn't been that easy.

"What about Vakarian, is he awake yet?" this time it was the turian's voice that answered.

"I'm alright Commander, just don't expect me to be do that again anytime soon."

"Roger that." I replied as my mind began churning out a particular idea. "Hold on, I'll be down in a minute." as the line went dead I glanced down at the battered and bruised merc beneath me. "What's the going rate for loyalty these days?" a calculate expression quickly made its way across the woman's features as she weighed up the available options.

"Double what ExoGeni were offering"

"I'll pay three times you're going rate, not a credit more." I watched as the figure mulled the idea over before replying.

"Alright, but you give me a lift off this forsaken world when all of this is over, agreed?"

"Agreed." I coldly stated as I offered the asari a metallic hand. "But no tricks." the warning seemed to fall on deaf ears as the two of us walked stiffly down a ruined corridor, back towards my waiting subordinates; understandably the sudden appearance of a total stranger didn't generate a positive response from individuals who mere moments ago were being shot at.

"Freeze!" Garrus's voice thundered around the empty space as Gwin stepped out into the room in front of me. "Hands above your head!"

"She's with me Vakarian." I firmly stated as the turian quietly threatened the woman with an assault rifle, this particular statement generated a slightly bemused look from nearly everyone one involved, well, excluding me and the mercenary of course.

"What's going on Commander?" softly asked Tali as she eyed the newcomer with disdain.

"Gwin Azuma, meet everyone, everyone, meet Gwin Azuma." I attempted to speed through with the formal introductions but the young quarian wasn't going to let it go.

"Where did she come from?" suspiciously enquired the teenager as her hand instinctively tightened around the grip of the un-slung weapon, at that exact moment I'd had enough and took the path of least resistance.

"She was the other assailant, the one that I chased after remember." the shocked horror that spread out from this revelation was understandable if not unwanted.

"We're teaming up with ExoGeni now?" snapped Garrus angrily as he began pacing up and down in frustration. "After everything they've done?" at that moment the individual in question decided to interrupt.

"I don't work for anyone, I'm freelance" this didn't really seem to have much of an impact on anyone.

"Oh that's make a world of difference." snapped the angry turian as he pointed a talon at the mercenary. "What's the going rate for loyalty these days?"

"About a hundred and fifty thousand credits an hour, give or take." I calmly replied as I glanced over at the figure next to me. "What were your exact orders Gwin, I need to know what I'm walking into." the woman paused in what appeared to be thought as she mulled the question over before answering.

"The ExoGeni team had orders to secure or destroy all vital intelligence linking the company to any questionable activities going on at the promises" I nodded in silence as I heard this; it was standard procedure after all. "I wasn't told anything else, just get the squad in and then get them out." the asari glanced over at the rest of my team as she continued talking. "I didn't even know the geth were involved until they started shooting at the ship."

"Was it yours?" I asked quietly.

"No, one of ExoGeni's, they were rather ardent on that fact actually as I recall." Vakarian decided to reengage with the conversation at this point.

"They probably wanted everything kept quiet," Muttered the turian as he checked his assault rifle on impulse. "Small chances of that happening now." this particular revelation didn't go down so well with everyone and for good reason.

"Keelah I can't believe we're even talking about this!" snapped the teenage quarian, who moments later stormed off towards a flickering computer terminal that was set into a far wall.

"Garrus go with her for Christ's sake." I snapped as my female Tech expert disappeared from view.

"Nice people you've got here." chuckled Gwin sarcastically as she watched the unplanned chaos unfold around her. "Do they do this often?" the remark slipped past without comment from me as I turned my mind back to the task at hand.

"Did your team manage to complete their mission?" the woman shook laughed out loud before replying.

"You've got to be joking, I lost half of my team just clearing the landing zone; two more fighting the geth in this command and control centre" she jerked a thumb over her shoulder towards a ruined stairway that arched up from the floor. "It's on the other side if you want a look" I nodded in silent agreement upon hearing this. "I'm pretty sure that I spied a number of terminals and the like, it might be worth checking out"

"Noted." I muttered as out of the corner of my vision I caught sight of the two wayward members of the ground team coming loping back towards me at a noticeable place.

"What's the matter?" my voice echoed around the open space as the due came to a screeching halt in front of me.

"I think you should see this Commander" whispered Vakarian as he lent in next to me. "It's important."

"Alright" I quietly replied as I hastily followed the pair back across the room towards a fully functional workstation that was blaring out date onto a plastic screen. "What did you find?"

At this point Tali took over the conversation as she began to explain the situation.

"I was fiddling around with this geth console when it just started spewing out information" the quarian began to pull up reams of data as she continued talking. "From what I can gather the synthetics are amassing significant forces in the Armstrong cluster"

"Theories?" I interjected.

"Could be a staging point for raids into citadel space" stated Garrus as he ran a talon down one side of his face "Or even an indicator of imminent invasion." the later statement filled everyone with dread as they heard this.

"We'll worry about that later" I muttered as I continued to glance around at my surroundings with building up frustration. "Our first priority is to find a way to disable the enemy troop ship, ideas?" Tali looked over at a large block of computers before replying.

"I had a look at that control system over there; it regulates the pressure for the blast shutters, if we can tweak it then it should be up to the task of cutting through one of the metal legs"

"Do it!" I firmly ordered as my mind starts to finalize a crude outline of a plan. "Vakarian!"

"Commander?" retorted the turain who was half way through the process of double checking his equipment.

"I want you to take Gwin and check the bodies; I don't want any surprises, understand?"

"Yes sir!" grunted the alien as he began retracing his steps back across the open hall.

"How's it coming with those hydraulics Miss Zorah?" the question snapped the girl's attention away from the delicate task in front of her.

"I wouldn't be having such a problem if you left me to get on with it." the firmness of the reply took me slightly by surprise as it didn't seem to be in the quarian's nature, fortunately for me my professional instincts took hold and acted on their own accorded

"Can I have a moment?" I forcefully growled as I dragged the teenager out of site, behind a pile of rubble. "Explain yourself, now!" My voice coldly demanded as I studied the woman's shrouded features that could just be seen underneath the tinted screen.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Stammered Tali as she desperately attempted to avoid my gaze.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." I whispered as I lent in towards her until my breath was visible on her visor. "Ever since I got back you've been noticeably hostile, now what's going on?" the ice cold undertone of the question was not missed by my young associate, who glanced down at her booted feet in stubborn embarrassment; time seemed to slowly slip by before she work up the courage to reply. "Can you repeat that" I snapped as the sentence dissipated on the surrounding air.

"I said that I don't trust her!" quietly muttered the tech expert as I silently allowed her to trundle back across the stone floor towards the flickering computer display. "And I don't think we should work with her." I openly sighed before snapping off a firm response.

"It's my decision, if you can't handle that then you can stay on the ship for the foreseeable future, am I clear?" there was no answer. "I said, am I clear?"

"Crystal Commander." inaudibly replied the teenager as she got back to the task at hand.

"Good" I snapped as my feet carried me away from her and towards the frantically busy trio on the other side of the area. "Report!" I thundered as my team glanced up form what they were doing.

"We've had a look around" Garrus spluttered as he quickly scrambled upright. "Most of the geth equipment is fried, some kind of self-defence mechanism we think, but I did manage to salvage some equipment from ExoGeni"

"What exactly?" I firmly enquired.

"Mostly grenades, but some general medical supplies, which will probably come in handy later." but before anyone could add to the conversation there came a high-pitched shrieking from across the open space as a foot thick shutter tore down through an exposed landing leg; moments later the whole building shuddered as power cables were torn from their foundations and the drop-ship toppled backwards into the awaiting abyss below.

"By the spirits." Whispered the turian as he carefully let go of a nearby pillar. "I wasn't expecting that"

"You weren't the only one." I muttered as a dust covered figure came staggering out of haze towards us.

"Goddess Tali, are you alright?" nervously spluttered Liara as she quickly rush towards her dazed companion.

"I'm fine, really" quietly replied the teenager as dirt was hurriedly brushed from the dented helmet. "I just wasn't expecting it to act without a command confirmation." I ran a cold hand over the front of my face as I heard this.

"Will at least the power down now" I grumbled and if to emphasise this point they came a burst of crackly static as Joker's voice came blaring over the airwaves.

"I repeat Normandy to shore party, are you reading, anyone there?" their came yet another burst of interference as the pilot adjusted the feed. "Normandy to shore party, come on Commander, talk to me!" the manner of the man's voice was noticeably raised and that sent alarm bells ringing in my head.

"This is Shepard, what's the situation?" I could have sworn that the alliance officer breathed an audible sigh of relief before replying.

"We're in lock down here Commander, something happened to the colonists; they're banging on the hull, trying to claw their way into the ship" I interrupted at that exact point.

"What about the rest of the ground team?" I snapped in an authoritative tone.

"They all made it back okay, Wrex made sure of that." chuckled the pilot as he remembered something.

"Keep those colonists away from the Normandy, gun them down if you have to." this particular statement seemed to generate a multitude of mixed feelings from my subordinates as they heard this, but I brushed their worried concerns aside with a wave of my hand "I repeat the colonists are infected with unknown alien matter do not let them onto the ship."

"Roger that Commander Normandy out." the man's voice was hesitant and I made a mental note to have a word with him when we got back; but this would have to wait as I turned my mind to the task at hand. "We're leaving!" the order reverberated of the surrounding stonework as everyone sprinted madly towards the nearest exit "Move!" I snapped as I roughly pushed Tali in front of me as the building began to come crumbling down all around us.

"We're not going to make it!" Shouted T'soni as a lump of concrete the size of the woman's head came smashing down mere feet away.

"Keep moving!" I roared as we throw ourselves down a winding staircase, three steps at a time. "Don't stop!" the un-blocked entrance homed into view as we rounded a corner, just in time to see an all too familiar outline of Lizbeth Baynham, who was milling about in abject terror. "Move!" I bellowed as I throw myself into the uncertain individual, the force of the impact sent the two of us sprawling out on the building and into the relative safety of the parking lot.

"Oh god my arm!" wailed the woman as I forcefully dragged her of the ground. "What's wrong with you?" My limited patience finally ran out.

"Enough!" I japed a finger into the shock scientists' chest. "I want answers and I want them now!"

"What?" spluttered the terrified figure as she began to nervously back away from me.

"You said that you didn't know anything about the Thorian, you lied!" as I said this I mentally sent a PDF file screaming across the extranet to Miss Baynham's omni-tool.

"Explain yourself!" the atmosphere grew tense as the corned individual slowly glanced down at the intimating evidence in front of her.

"I...I was afraid, I wanted to stop the tests, but they threatened me; told me I'd be next" the weak excuse cut no mustard with me and my face showed this. "When the geth attack, I stayed behind to send a message to colonial affairs" a frustrated expression suddenly materialised upon the woman's features as she said this. "I tried to tell them where to find the Thorian, but the power cut before I could send the message" the young research allowed her head to drop as the words reverberated around the open space. "I...I never meant for this to happen" unfortunately I'd experienced too much in my professional career to be so easily swayed by the mere emotional outpourings of a nervous girl.

"Well what you wanted and what actually happened are two different things" I snapped as my gaze drifted over towards the silhouetted outline of the colony which could be seen squatting on the horizon. "I just want to know where the bloody thing is" the response came nearly before the question had left my lips.

"It's underneath Zhu's hope, but the entrance is blocked, I think the colonists must have covered it with a freighter just before the geth attacked" I ran a cold hand over my face as I heard this.

"What I want to know" I muttered "Is why the geth are after this creature in the first place" Lizbeth Baynham jumped at the chance to redeem herself in the current situation.

"Well, it does have unique mind control capabilities" this sudden announcement went down like a ton of bricks with my subordinates.

"You got to be kidding me!" growled Vakarian as he stomped off towards the waiting mako; I glanced over at Tali who was frantically tapping away on her omni-tool in what I assumed was an attempt to prevent future exposure to the unwanted pathogen.

"It's already too late for that." I stated as the suited teenager tore her attention away from the futile task to stare at me. "We've really been exposed for several hours." but inwardly I began running an internal scan to look for any potential evidence of infection; unfortunately this activity was put on hold as the comm line crackled into life.

"Normandy to shore party."

"What is it helmsman?" I firmly enquired as I placed a finger to my ear.

"We're getting a lot of geth radio chatter" Stated the pilot. "Looks like they're heading your way" I spat out a silent curse as I heard this.

"Roger, we're on the move" I snapped my head around to glare forcefully at everyone as the line went dead. "I want everyone in the mako, now!" the order reverberated off the surrounding surfaces as one the ground team thundered towards the waiting vehicle. "Garrus with me" I roared as the rest of the squad threw themselves into the back of the silent troop transport.

"Roger Commander" retorted the turian in a focused tone as he heaved back the armoured door with a clawed hand, as I slammed the drivers hatch closed with a noticeable thud the internal speakers blared into life.

"All secure back here Robo, let's go!" I allowed the insulting remark to slide this time as my left hand slammed the APC into reverse.

"Hold on!" I bellowed as the weighty vehicle did a near neck breaking hundred and eighty degree turn before storming of towards the front entrance.

"Spirits Shepard, watch what you're doing!" Spluttered my mildly terrified co-driver as we crashed our way through the enemy vanguard, who were attempting to block off the nearby skyway.

"Just keep your eyes on the readouts." I coldly retorted as a geth storm trooper was sent somersaulting through the air in a shower of oily rain. "And let me worry about the driving" a split second later an all too familiar voice blurted out of the overhead speakers.

"Anybody, is there anyone picking this up?" Doctor Baynham's frantic broadcast was suddenly interrupted by her co-worker Jeong's agitated shouting, just before the line went dead.

"What was that all about?" nervously enquired Lizbeth Baynham as her concerned tones echoed out over the intercom, I exchanged a silent looked with the C-sec officer, before closing the two way community from our end.

"That doesn't sound good" Muttered Garrus as he began scanning the surrounding area.

"No it didn't" I softly replied as I noticeably pressed my foot down hard onto the accelerator; but it seemed that the world hadn't finished screwing us over, of as we raced towards the bottom of the ramp the airwaves once more roared back into life.

"This is Juliana Baynham of Feros colony" the line was interrupted by a burst of static before continuing. "Please help us." the tension inside the vehicle was a ramped up another gear as everyone heard the concern in the speaker's voice.

"What are we going to do Commander?" Tali's voice snapped me out of my focused contemplation as it crawled out of the earpiece.

"I'm working on it." I snapped as the APC screeched round the next corner, unhappily for me the woman's daughter had other ideas as she slammed a open palm down onto the emergency brake next to her head.

"What the hell is going on!" I bellowed as the vehicle spun out of control in a clouded dust and debris.

"That crazy bitch just jumped ship!" came the enraged retorted from Gwin as the over passengers leaped out after her.

"Damn it all!" I muttered as I throw open the driver's door. "Go after her!" the order reverberated around the enclosed space as everyone sprinted after the rapidly disappearing figure; it turned out to be just as bad as I thought it would be.

* * *

><p>"Hah, Shepard, damn it, I knew it was too much to hope the geth would kill you!" the man's nervous tones echoed up towards me as I strolled out of cover towards him; this wouldn't have been how I would have wanted it to go down but the naive actions of an enraged teenager had scuttled whatever contingency plans I had; stupid moron. "I found some interesting facts about you in the ExoGeni database." a smug expression momentarily appeared on the administrators face. "I thought you looked familiar." the nervous figure glanced over at his trigger-happy subordinates before continuing. "I should have recognized one of Synthetic Insights personal lapdogs." the insulting comment was rewarded by me calmly pulling my pistol from its holster and shoving it in his face, understandably the security guards won't too happy about this as the threatening gun barrels clearly indicated.<p>

"I wouldn't if I were you" Stated Gwin evenly as she levelled a shotgun at the closest opponent; the asari's sudden appearance didn't go down so well with her one time employers.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" snapped a flustered Jeong as he amateurishly waved a weapon in the woman's general direction. "You're working for us!"

"I was offered a better deal. And as far as I was concerned your contract became void as soon as my team was killed." steadily replied the mercenary as she gave the man the finger This particular revelation was unwanted and only added to the tension as we squared off against the opposing force.

"Everyone just stop!" everyone looked over towards doctor Baynham, who was wearing a particularly unpleasant expression upon her face. "Do you want to end up dead Ethan, is that what you want?" the man was become noticeably twitchy, which wasn't a good thing in my experience.

"You don't understand it's not that easy" wailed the bureaucrat as he began rubbing the side of his face uncontrollably. "Communications are back up, the company wants this place purged!" it wasn't an unexpected request considering, but from the looks that this announcement generated it came as a bit of a shock for several people including a couple of my own team.

"This is a human colony Jeong, you can't just re-purpose us!" I snorted loudly as I heard the teenage Baynham's statement.

"Is that what you call murder these days?" my remark obviously made some people uncomfortable but I wasn't in the mood for childish handholding at this point

"Don't you get do you, these something here far more valuable than a few colonists"

"You mean the Thorian." I stated coldly"

"The what?" the doctor's surprised response was a clear indicator of her lack of involvement, unfortunately what her daughter said next wasn't.

"It's a telepathic life-form living underneath Zhu's hope" the arrogant teenager pointed a finger at the now terrified man. "It's taking control of the colonists and ExoGeni knew all along."

"So did you" I muttered as my patience started to run out with the self-conceited woman in front of me and it seemed to have an impact as the figure fell silent almost instantaneously upon hearing this.

"You won't get away with this Jeong." heatedly snapped the elder Baynham as she took a step towards the company administrator.

"So you keep saying." retorted the strangely calm man as he glanced over at the irate woman.

"But nobody is going to miss a few colonists."

"Or a mother and daughter for that matter." I added loudly; that was the tipping point, the administrators eyes seemed to dilate as he realised what I was talking about and I instinctively triggered my combat stimulants; the world slurred as everyone went for their weapons, it was short, it was sharp, it was bloody, but my team cut down the surrounding security personnel nonetheless and as the silence fell it was obvious who had won

"As if we didn't have enough problems, now we're shooting each over in the back." muttered doctor Baynham as she knelt next to the gore covered corpse that had once been her co-worker, right up to the point when I'd blasted a tangerine sized hole out the back of the man's head.

"One less now." I replied in an uncaring tone as I unconsciously wiped a blood soaked hand on a coat breast.

"It's my fault, I knew what was going on and I didn't do anything." I glanced other at the frustrating teenager as she said this.

"Congratulations on stating the obvious." my voice retorted as my mind began working out an action plan for the unavoidable outcome that awaited us.

"Don't you start, she did good work and you know it." the mothers protective voice did nothing to soothe my already building frustration at the duo as I kept having to confronting an uncomfortable truth.

"Commander" Garrus's voice knocked me out of my silent contemplation.

"What?" I muttered as the alien lent in close.

"It's been bothering me but why are the geth after the Thorian?" it was a good question and one I wished I had an answer to.

"One hurdle at time Vakarian" I softly whispered as I slowly closed my eyes to give them a moment rest, unfortunately someone had other ideas.

"You won't be able to even get close to the life-form." said doctor Baynham as she gave me a hard stare. "The colonist won't let you, they'll die first."

"Their dead anyway." I coldly stated; the horrified looks that washed across the waiting listeners faces was to be expected, but I couldn't allow emotions to get in the way of the objective and I let everyone know it. "You know what must be done" firmly ordered as I turned to walk away.

"There's got to be another way" pleaded Lizbeth as she took a step towards me, her mother joined in at this point.

"We could use a nerve agent to neutralize the colonists."

"Enough!" the bellow reverberated off every angled surface as I rounded on the two women.

"Will the nerve agent destroy all traces of the pathogen?" I pulled my sunglasses from my face to glare heatedly at the elder Baynman "Will it!"

"I don't know." Spluttered the shocked scientist as she slowly backed away from me, the answer didn't go down too well.

"You don't know?" my voice was so sharp that it could cut through ore like an industrial laser. "You don't know!" I japed a finger in the direction of the colony. "Do you have any idea what will happen if those spores get off world?" I angrily placed my eyewear back so to hide the emotions churning behind my features. "We can't take the risk!" once more I turned to leave but this time I felt a hand desperately clampdown on my shoulder.

""How can it hurt to try commander, these people are our friends!" my patience finally reached its limit as I spun to face the emotional doctor.

"You don't get it do you!" I coldly stated as I took a determined step towards the trembling figure. "They're no longer people, they're things!" the atmosphere of the room changed as everyone heard this. "The moment ExoGeni exposed them they became nothing but test subjects; experiments." I calmly pulled my sidearm out of its holster. "And I have no problems killing experiments." the look upon my face must of been terrifying because the colour drained from the woman's face.

"How can you so heartless!" vehemently spat Lizbeth as she placed herself between her mother and me.

"Look who's talking." I evenly responded as I fixed the teenage figure with a cold expression.

"What?" stammered the girl as she began to nervously sweat.

"The moment you put your self-interest before the colonists' lives you became no different to those who were experimenting upon them." I leant down until my face was mere millimetres from hers "I've met people who would and did risk everything for what they believed in." My breath could be seen condensing in the cold air as it wrapped itself around her. "You're nothing but a damned hypocrite." a split second later I indicated for the rest of my team to fallout as I turned towards the exit. "And in the end its left to people like me to clean up your mess." the departing comment hung heavy in the air as we trumped up the access ramp towards the waiting vehicle.

* * *

><p><strong>(Hope you like the new chapter, I will try to get the next one to you as fast as I can, but I'm have some computer trouble so I can promise anything) <strong>

**(I do hope you guys will review this, it really nice to know what people think)  
><strong>

**(Sincerely Gods-own)  
><strong>


	14. Chapter 14: The only thing

**(Good day every one, sorry about the long wait, my proof reader as been snowed under at work with it being Christmas and all.)**

**(I hope you like this chapter, both myself and my proof reader have but a lot of energy into it, so please leave comments and reviews so we know what you think)**

**(Sincerely Gods-own) **

**Chapter 14: The only thing**

The silence in the APC was palpable as the engine once more rumbled into life, which was in some ways a blessing, because it meant that I didn't have discuss what was going to happen next, that was until my turian co-driver coughed softly in my general direction.

"What?" I quietly asked as we thundered out onto the waiting section of skyway.

"Are you really going to go through with is Commander?" softly asked the alien as he glanced at me out of the corner of his vision.

"Do you remember what I said to you aboard the MSV Fedele when we hunted down Saleon?" it wasn't really a question.

"About doing what's necessary?" replied Vakarian with a questioning stare.

"Then you know your answer." I muttered as a rocket suddenly soared past the side of the Mako, moments later our conversation was forgotten as my subordinate got down to the task of blasting away at the rapidly approaching enemy.

"We've got Geth Juggernauts' on the skyway" Shouted my gunner as the main cannon fired, blinding me with its muzzle flash; the shell was dead on and as it detonated all that could be seen was the blackened carcass of a defeated opponent somersaulting through the smoke filled air.

"I'm picking up strong magnetic signatures" abruptly stated Tali as her voice cut through the surrounding tension. "I think it's Armatures." the girl's prediction turned out to be correct as moments later as we came racing over the sky line our vehicle was met with a crescendo of plasma fire as the waiting automations opened up.

"Brake left, brake left!" yelled Garrus as he tore his eyes away from the targeting display as the external camera took a direct hit.

"Shut up!" I roared as my foot hammered the accelerator flat to the floor; the armored vehicle rocked forward as the synthetic opponents desperately attempted to charge up for a second salvo, they didn't make it as a split-second later our weighty APC slammed into them like a falling mountain.

"What are you bloody playing at?" heatedly demanded Gwin as she manually activated the Mako's intercom. "It feels like you're head-butting a krogan back here."

"Busy, shut up." I muttered forcefully as one of the shielded walkers staggered back to its feet behind us.

"It's charging up!" nervously stated Vakarian as he glanced in the rear view screen.

"I can see that." I coldly retorted as I swerved to one side to avoid a second blinding projectile, fortunately they didn't seemed to want to chase after us and as we vanished from view we both breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"To close Commander" whispered the turian as he dragged a gauntleted hand across his plated forehead.

"Noted." I replied as the Mako trundled ever onwards towards our final destination, after a prolonged few moments we came to a screeching halt outside of the main garage where we'd only depart from a few hours earlier.

"It's show time." I whispered as the heavy hatch swung back to reveal an unpleasant scene; in our absence something untoward had taken place, the atmosphere felt darker, more unpleasant. Dark stains were leaking out from in between the cracks in the stonework and near the main entrance way was something that looked particularly unfriendly.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." whispered Doctor T'soni as she gingerly clambered out from the rear of the vehicle.

"Then keep it to yourself" I firmly replied as the firm feeling of my firearm materialized in my hand. "Vakarian, Gwin with me, you two" I jabbed a finger over my shoulder at the APC.

"Keep an eye on the Mako, if things go sideways, you have the turret." the ordered didn't go down to well with the young quarian as her posture show but I wasn't in the mood for a heated debate. "Am I clear?" It wasn't really a question.

"Yes Commander" replied the teenager in a quiet, cold tone.

"Good, move out" but my teams little foray forward didn't quite go as planned. As we neared the massive doors I saw something move in a patch of shadows. "Contact!" the statement caught everyone's attention, including those left behind.

"What's the matter Shepard?" loudly asked Tali as she sauntered over towards me with more than a hint of purpose.

"I saw something move" I glanced over at the male member of my team. "Garrus, go check it out"

"Affirmative." firmly replied the C-sec officer as he brought his assault rifle up to eye level, but even before he'd taken a step forward something happened; there was a sound like stretching leather as a humanoid figure lurched out of the darkness towards us, the things facial features would have given a zombie nightmares, its moan so haunted it chilled even my blood, and on impulse everyone including myself began blasting away at it until it was nothing but a green smear on the concrete.

"No amount of infection could have altered a human to that extent, I wonder what is going on here?" whispered Liara, who leaned down to examine the lifeless corpse.

"Keep telling yourself that doctor, won't make it true." stated Gwin as she gave the thing a disrespectful kick.

"You've seen these things before?" enquired Vakarain as he glanced over at the mercenary.

"Nope, but after a while in the private sector monstrous experiments gone wrong tend not to shock you anymore." the asari let off an unpleasant smirk as she said this. "Isn't that right robo?" I ignored the woman and turned my attentions to overriding security mechanism on the front door.

"Is this the kind of thing that you do then as a company agent, killing innocent civilians?" snidely snapped Tali as she began to wipe some slime from her visor.

"Sometimes" I quietly replied as the internal workings of the lock were revealed to me.

"And that doesn't bother you?" asked the teenager in a frustrated tone, silence was the only thing that answered. "Keelah your job is horrible!" muttered the girl as she turned to walk away.

"Tell me about it." the reply was so soft that I almost didn't realize that I'd said it and by the way that the young quarian half paused made me doubt if she had heard too.

"Any luck with that door Commander?" Garrus came striding over towards me as he said this and for once I was rather grateful for the interruption.

"Just removing the last line of security code now." as I said this there came a noticeable click from the garages doors as dead bolts drew back into their housing. "Let's move!" I barked as the doors began rolling up in front of my squad, but as ever on this mission, it was never that easy because as the door opened we were met with a whole swarm of those things that came storming out to greet us.

"Suppressing fire, suppressing fire!" the order echoed all around as we began unloading fire into the approaching horde, unfortunately it didn't seem to be having much of an effect and with every passing second the opposition drew closer and closer.

"Biotic lift, now!" I ordered as one of the ugly abominations got within spitting distance, which was rather unfortunately named as the thing suddenly regurgitated _something_ in my general direction.

"Spirits that's revolting." whispered Vakarian as he watched me violently throw myself backwards to avoid the churning green mass that hurtled through the air towards me.

"Keep shooting!" yelled Gwin as she let fly with a bone shattering amount of kinetic energy, as if on command the front dozen assailants suddenly levitated into the air.

"Shoot them in the head." I calmly instructed as I scrambled back to my feet, which everyone duly did, but Mother Nature really didn't seem to be on our side as half a second later a light splattering of rounds began hurtling down all around us.

"Fresh targets, eleven o'clock!" Barked Garrus as he began blasting away at the newly appeared opposition. "They look like some of the colonists." I silently slipped back into a professional state as the grim task in front of me took hold.

"I'll take care of it." I firmly stated as yet another monster came leering up towards me, it was met with a metallic fist which crushed the front of the abominations face in a shower of green fluid "Give me covering fire!" the order was carried out almost instantaneously efficiency as half of my team switched priorities to the entrenched position above us; it was exactly what I needed and almost on impulse I triggered my combat stimulants as the cowering defenders homed into view directly in front of me.

"This isn't personal, just necessary. I'm sorry." I whispered as I vaulted over the nearest barricade; the closest opponent was greeted with a savage kick that sent blood gushing down over the colonist's face, his colleague directly behind him was slammed into the ground by a trio of shots; but even this wasn't enough to break the defender's morale, which was quickly demonstrated by a razor sharp knife that darted passed my face as I squared off against remaining attacker; it was over in a heartbeat, the man lunged forward once more only to be met with thin air as I sidestepped, grabbing hold of the offending limb with my right hand I wasted no time in wrapping my other hand tightly around the thrashing figure's neck; there was a short, sharp crack as the individual went limb and I was left holding the dead body in my arms.

"Are you alright cyborg?" Gwin shouted up to me as I silently allowed the defeated opponent to slip effortlessly out of my grip.

"I'm fine." I coldly replied as I watched my team jogging up the sloping gradient.

"Oh Goddess" whispered Doctor T'soni softly as she stared at the bloody carnage surrounding me. "Was there no other way?" I didn't bother to respond as my fist punched the button to summon the elevator.

"It's only going to get worse little maiden" chuckled the female mercenary as she bent down to check one of the body's for anything valuable.

"Don't you have any respect for the dead!" snapped Tali angrily as the teenager glared down at her unwanted associate.

"The dead don't need respect, they're dead." retorted the asari as there came an all too familiar ping as the lift doors opened in front of us.

"Everyone in!" I ordered as the sound of stumbling feet from outside the main entrance; as we all piled inside the cramped space I caught sight of the unmistakable silhouettes of more of those zombie-like creatures come staggering in from a number of different directions. "Close the doors close them!" I roared as Garrus glanced over his left shoulder at the stumbling hoard behind him, the C-sec's officer's eyes dilated in mute horror for half a moment before he quickly smashed an armoured elbow into the door controls with unnecessary force, luckily for all those involved the metal portal pulled shut as the electronics responded to the command.

"To close commander, to close" Whispered Liara as she let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Good thing we tagged along" muttered my quarian engineer in a cold tone. "Otherwise things could have been very different." the atmosphere in the narrow space was unbearable at the best of times, but at this exact moment it was as intolerable as any military court-martial.

"Let's stay focused on the task at hand." stated Vakarian nervously as he desperately attempted to placate the situation; fortunately the assent was much quicker than the descent so in a little under two minutes we'd reached the colony proper.

"Stay alert; the colonists might have set booby traps." I ordered as we slowly stepped out onto the solid masonry floor.

"Understood Shepard." replied Tali as she stuck her head around the next corner, it wasn't the smartest thing she'd ever done and as if responding to this a glistening sharp claw flashed out towards her; fortunately for the teenager I was being a bit more alert and my response blew the offending limb off at the elbow.

"Down!" my voice echoed off our surroundings as the girl obeyed instantaneously, which was rather fortunate because the next shot drilled effortlessly through the thing's face in a dark outpouring of green gore and brain matter. "Are you alright?" I asked as I walked up to the floored figure, but the girl didn't have a chance to respond as there came a savage impact that sent half a dozen alerts thundering across my heads up display, but that wasn't my main concern as I spun around to face my would-be assailant, it was another one of those zombie things, which was summarily dispatched in a blaze of gunfire.

"Are you alright Commander?" spluttered Doctor T'soni in a worried tone as she came rushing to my side. "Are you hurt?" I knew she meant well but the young asari's concerned manner wasn't something I particularly needed or wanted.

"I'm fine!" I firmly retorted as I turned back to the alerts playing across my internal display.

"At least let me clean that slime off of you." pleaded the woman as she took a step towards me.

"Don't touch me!" the response brought the individual to the stumbling halt as everyone glanced over at me in surprise.

"I didn't mean…" stammered Liara as she began to become the emotional, but luckily Tali was quicker on the uptake than anyone else and she quickly scrambled to her feet.

"Shepard what's wrong?" the teenager enquired steadily as her onmi-tool flicked into life.

"The stuff I'm coated in is toxic, whatever those things regurgitate under no circumstances allowing them to get you with it." I began to quickly pull my partly soaked trench coat from my shoulders, because whatever was inside the goo began to eat both into the fabric and my skin as it turned out. "Damn it all!" I spat as began to desperately wipe the last vestiges of the ooze from my face. "It won't come off!"

"Take your hand away!" Snapped the female quarian as she calmly pulled a slim looking bottle from her tool belt. "Close your eyes." ordered the girl as she aimed the things nozzle in my direction; I jammed the offending eyelids shut and moments later I felt the creamy foam splattering all across one side of my face as the containers contents was emptied all over me.

"What the hell are you doing?" I spluttered angrily as I began wiping the white froth from the corner of my mouth.

"It's an antiseptic foam, we use in cases of suit tears, it also neutralizes acidic compounds so it should stop whatever's in that stuff from melting your face off." I flatly glared at the teenager as I heard this. "It was a joke" She coldly retorted.

"Is it done yet?" I enquired as I mentally released a large dose of medi-gel into my system to counter the toxins that were running rampant throughout my bruised body.

"I would leave it for a few moments more if I were you" advised the tech expert as she began to run scans on one side of my countenance. "I can't be totally sure if the medical foam as completely neutralized the acid yet" but this advice would have to be pushed to one side as a crescendo of footfalls heralded the arrival of more angry assailants.

"We've got incoming!" snarled Vakarian as he hastily stuck his head round the next corner.

"How many?" my question wasn't answered as two more colonists came storming into the confined space, weapons blazing.

"Down!" Barked Gwin as her shotgun roared; at this range, she didn't miss.

"Spirits that woman is going to be the death of me." whispered Garrus as he quietly glanced down at the ruined carcasses in front of him

"What a mess." but this was neither the time nor place of such thoughts. I returned to the task at hand.

"Stay focused!" I snapped as I calmly stepped over the gory scene beneath me. "Remember the mission!" this order wouldn't and didn't go down well with a selected number of my team; especially one suited individual.

"How could we forget?" muttered the young quarian as she felling in unwillingly behind me; I made a mental note to have a word with the uncooperative individual when and if we got back to the Normandy.

"We're nearing the colony, stay sharp." I coldly stated as my team began descending down the awaiting staircase, but even this wasn't going to go as planned as moments later more of those zombie like things came rushing up out of the midday gloom toward us. "Open fire, open fire!" I barked as my weapon roared once more into life, all of the rounds hit home, sending the two leading assailants tumbling backwards as gravity took hold.

"Over heated!" snapped Vakarian as he dropped to one knee beside me.

"Noted" I calmly replied as my left foot slammed heavily downwards, crushing an exposed monster's kneecap in a shower of dark green blood.

"Move!" Gwin's unmistakable tone made me duck on impulse as the uncaring asari unleashed a churning wave of dark energy that sent the remaining attackers thundering to their doom below.

"Spirits, watch where you shoot that thing!" angrily growled Garrus as he picked himself up from where he'd been thrown a short distance away.

"You should learn to roll, it's not that hard" retorted the mercenary as confidently she stepped past him, offering him a sly wink as her hips swayed.

"Not the time!" I coldly ordered as I moved softly towards the main entrance that lead into Zhu's hope, the only thing that could be heard echoing in from the other side was the tell-tale sound of deep breathing. "Stay here, I'm going to scout ahead." but even before I'd managed to get my head half way out of cover it was already being bombarded by a hail of lethal projectiles. "I think they know we're here." I calmly stated as I began returning fire. "Vakarian, Gwin, covering fire, the rest with me!" the air around us erupted into flame as my subordinates began blazing away at the infected colonists, who wisely ducked back down out of sight, that had been the stimulus we'd been waiting for and in a split-second I, along with Tali and doctor T'soni found ourselves charging out into the open space; the world started once more to turn gray as my combat stimulants worked their way into my blood stream, I was going to have one hell of a come down after all of this was over I thought as my pistol smashed the nearest assailant off his feet in a gory spray of crimson.

"Shepard!" my instincts kicked in at the warning and I threw myself forward just as a nasty looking hatchet cut through the air where my head would have been.

"Bloody amateur." I spat as the aggressive attacker swung the weapon back over his head. The man never finished the manoeuvre as my left fist hammered into the bastards face with bone shattering force; this was brutally followed up with a vicious stab from one of my arm blades that cleanly gutted the unfortunate individual. "Shout out if your hurt!" my voice echoed all around us as I caught sight of Tali struggling with yet another colonist.

"I said, get off!" frantically demanded the teenager as she drove a kneecap home into a particularly delicate part of the male anatomy, I followed this up with a lone round that quickly removed the threat from her general vicinity.

"Stay focused!" the female quarian didn't seem too happy about my intervention, but wisely she decided to turn that frustration into something practical by emptying the contents of her shotgun into the chest of one of those zombie like monsters as it attempted to drag itself over a nearby railing. "Garrus get up here!" I ordered as my sidearm began to overheat.

"Roger that Commander." replied the C-sec officer as he rushed forward to support me, which as it turned out was rather well timed as an nearly unending tide of inhuman abominations came surging out from behind the parked supply ship.

"Incoming!" Roared Gwin as she began flinging wave after wave of biotic energy into the surging masses in front of us, it didn't really have much of an impact and step by step the monstrous horde drew ever closer.

"Meat grinder!" I coldly stated as ripped my left blade from the face of yet another assailant, the instruction was carried out with a level of clinical efficiency that only appeared in critical situations. "Shoulder to shoulder, overlap fields of fire." the air was close, the stench of testosterone and adrenalin permeated all around us as we allowed our weapons to cool down.

"What's the plan Commander?" whispered T'soni as the groaning mass of body's hurtled ever onwards towards us.

"Commander?" still no answer and yet they still came.

"Shepard!" I brought my gun up to eye level as if I was out for a morning stroll.

"Open fire." the order wasn't loud, in fact I had the distinct feeling that everyone only reacted because they heard the tell-tale sound of the pistol screaming; but the effects were immediately noticeable as the enemy's front-line crumpled under the withering crossfire. Even this didn't totally stop the shuffling advance and I was forced to pull everyone back towards a nearby choke point

"I've over heated!" nervously stated Tali as a plume of steam came rushing out of the side of her firearm.

"Backup weapon, now!" the order was crisp and clear.

"Understood Commander" replied the young quarian as she hastily pulled a matte black handgun out of its holster.

"Give me a lift field" I snapped as the monstrous attackers started to get uncomfortably close; in an instant a blue haze searched out from between the two asari as the pair combined their impressive potential into one, unmistakable force that dragged the unwilling victims up into the air until they looked no different than manikins on display.

"We can't hold this forever!" muttered the mercenary from in between clenched teeth as sweat began trickling down one side of her face.

"I know Gwin." I calmly replied as I began executing them one after the other, until all that was left dangling in the air was gore soaked corpses.

"We've got in coming!" Garrus's frantic shout cut through the air a moment to late as the first rounds started to slam into my exposed back, there was a bright flash of blue as the body armour's built in shields took the brunt of the attack, unfortunately there was still ample kinetic force to send me staggering forwards into Tail, who unsurprisingly failed to hold up our combined weights.

"Keelah!" spluttered the self-conscious teenager as she found herself sprawled flat on her suited back with me, in a rather compromising position directly atop the struggling teenager.

"Is this really the time cyborg?" sarcastically stated Gwin as she glanced in our general direction.

"Shut it!" I forcefully replied in slightly louder tone of voice than I'd wanted.

"Commander." the sudden voice near my left ear snapped me back to the slightly embarrassing event going on directly beneath me.

"My apology's Miss Zorah." I quickly replied as I hastily removed myself from the unpleasant situation by rolling to one side. "You're not hurt are you?" the girl quickly shook her head in response as I dragged myself into the relative safety of cargo container "Good." I glanced around just in time to see Vakarian land a clean headshot on one of the infected assailants'.

"Nice to see you could join us." chuckled the turian as he ducked back into cover for half a second.

"Stay focused!" I snapped as my hands double checked the dust covered firearm in my lap. "This isn't a game Garrus." the C-sec officer seemed to fall quiet for half a second.

"If it was I'd have the most kills by now." whispered the alien as he brought his eye line up to mine.

"Don't keep score, keep shooting." I coldly muttered as I prepped a waiting hand grenade. "Fire in the hole!" everyone ducked as the metal projectile spun effortless through the air and it turned out to be a wise decision as the explosive rolled to a stop next to an ill-fated fuel tank.

"Ah shit." spluttered asari mercenary as she throw herself bodily over a nearby barricade and without a moment to spare as the ensuing explosion sent a thundering shockwave hurtling downfield towards us; the chaos kicked up by this event was particularly unwanted due to no small extent the cloud of dust that blanketed the entire battlefield.

"Spirits I can't see a bleeding thing." wheezed Vakarian as his dirt filled voice echoed out of the gloom all around me.

Don't move!" I roared as there came the gentle sound of footfalls from somewhere deeper within the distorted haze. "Gwin is that you?" the multitude of swear words that drifted across from my left said otherwise.

"I would take that as a no." stated the turian as I watched him crawl on his hands and knees towards me.

"You alright officer?" I enquired with a raised eyebrow as the alien slumped down next to me in cover.

"Fine sir, just trying to regroup." I nodded quietly as I heard this.

"Alright, this is what's going to happen, I'm going to try and reach that grounded freighter; while the rest of you hold the fort here, understood?" Garrus gave what I assumed was a thumbs up.

"Roger that Commander, good luck" my subordinates encouragement wasn't really need and as I silently slipped into the clinging fog I made a mental note to have a word with the enthusiastic officer when this was all over; unfortunately all of this was suddenly thrown out of the window as my internal earpiece blurted into life.

"Commander what's going on?" the voice was raised and ever so slightly frantic but even so unmistakably recognizable.

"Miss Zorah what's wrong?" but even as I said this my radar gave a worrisome ping as it detected movement somewhere in the swaying smog.

"I can't seem to find anyone, I think I'm lost." I swore loudly before getting down to the task at hand.

"Can you see any kind of landmark?" I asked quickly as I continued towards the looming shadow of the waiting spacecraft.

"I think I can see some kind of ship, a freighter maybe, I'm heading to that location" as she said this I glanced down at the corner of my holographic display, as if on impulse it started to bleep with ever increasing frequency as a small point of light moved towards my general location.

"Shepard is that you?" this time Tali's voice wasn't coming out of an earpiece but from a position just off to my left.

"Keep your voice down!" I hastily muttered as a female figure quickly materialised out of the grimy hue.

"Sorry Commander." whispered the teenager as she nervously trundled over towards me.

"Hurt?" the girl didn't answer "I said, are you hurt?"

"No Commander." came the hasty reply.

"Answer quicker next time." I snapped as I began hacking the nearest access point on the ship

"Yes Commander." stammered the girl with noticeable embarrassment as she glanced around at the hidden surroundings. "I won't do it again."

"Good." moments later there came a noticeable thud as the security locks slipped back into their housing. "Stay close." I ordered as we moved cautiously into the confines of the darkened derelict; the internal stench was overwhelming, it smelt like rust and damp, a sickening mixture of death and decay. "Stay alert." the female quarian nodded in understanding as she tucked in behind me as the two of us advanced further into vessel.

"Commander, do you read?" once more the unnerving quiet was shattered by my personal communicator rumbling into life.

"Go ahead Vakarian." the turian began to quickly unload a torrent of information down the airwaves and into my ear, but after a long moment I had to interrupt. "Get to the point officer." I muttered as an annoying scraping sound could be heard emanating from the outside of the ship.

"You've got incoming, can't say how many but they're on their way." this revelation wasn't wholly unexpected as that frustrating noise was only increasing in intensity.

"Get ready kid." I coolly stated as my young companion began to frantically clicking her angles

"Shepard?" nervously whispered the girl as she glanced up at me with a desperate expression; it was strange I thought, when was the last time someone had looked at me like that, I couldn't even recall and that more than anything else caused me to say what I said next.

"You'll be fine Tali, I won't let anything bad happen to you, I promise." there was real emotion in my voice, which unsurprisingly took the quarian totally by surprise and she began to embarrassingly fiddled with the side of her helmet in a desperate attempt not to look directly at me.

"Thank you Commander." whispered the young woman in noticeably happy tone just before the sound of screeching metal filled the air.

"Here they come." I said in a level voice as the first of the abominations forced their way into the cramped confines of the freighter, its reward was a pistol round to the face that shattered its skull and splattered its brain all over the far wall. "Cover the other end!" my order reverberated off the surrounding spaces as I began to advance towards the gaping hole in the side of the vessel, it didn't take long for a second, aggressive assailant to drag its way over the threshold towards me.

"Are you all right Shepard?" shouted my subordinate as I began blasting away at the new arrival.

"I'm fine, watch your end!" I snapped as once more the sound of tearing metal filled the stagnant air and she soon had something to worry about as several extremely unhappy zombie things began manhandling themselves through an open access port.

"Commander?" the girl's voice had a distinct note of concern concealed within it, but at this exact moment I was slightly preoccupied the troubles of my own.

"Just shoot the damn things!" almost instantaneously my order was obeyed and from behind me there came the unmistakable sound of a shotgun being pumped into life; the next few minutes flow by in a blur as the two of us fought simply to survive the never ending storm of green filth that swarmed down both ends of the corridor and then it was over.

"Commander, do you read me?" the frantic call echoed down the silent passageway, unanswered. "Come on, don't do this to me Shepard." I slowly dragged a goo smeared hand up to one ear.

"I read you Vakarian." the relief was almost palpable as the turian let out a deep sigh. "Give me a sit rep."

"We're fine Commander. That last wave was pretty intense but most of them seemed to be more interested in you then they were in us." as the conversation continued I found myself walking down a carcass clogged corridor towards what I assumed was the cockpit.

"What does the situation outside look like?" I asked wearily as I punched in the override command into the doors locking mechanism.

"It seems pretty clear out here Commander, but I wouldn't bet on it staying that way for long"

"Roger that" I whispered as the metal hatch pulled back to reveal the unmistakable outline of my quarian engineer, furiously working away at a command interface. "Wondered where you got to." as I said this there came the faintest hint of noise from somewhere deeper in the ship, but before my attention could focus on it Tali decided to distract me once more.

"Sorry about that Shepard, I was just trying to find the lift mechanisms, they must be around somewhere." this time the sound was clear and definitely closer. "Did you just hear that Commander?" Whispered the teenagers she quickly glanced away from the glowing screen.

"Yes I did." I coldly replied. "Stay here." it wasn't negotiable and if to reinforce this fact I locked the door behind me; the darkness returned once more, making every nook and cranny come alive with impossible apparitions "Why are things never easy" I muttered as my feet carried me forwards into the clinging gloom; the blow came out of nowhere, I felt my vision blur as the fist collided with one side of my face.

"I tried to fight it, but it gets in your head; you can't imagine the pain" stammered Fai Dan as he came staggering out of a nearby alcove.

"You talk too much." I retorted in cold professionalism as I levelled my pistol; but it wasn't going to be that easy as the crazed colonist smashed the threatening implement to one side before head butting me in the face.

"I was supposed to be their leader, these people trusted me." the man's pitiful explanation was cut short as I broke his nose with a desperate right hook. As blood gushed down the poor bastards face my body regained its senses and followed this up with a bone breaking leg stomp that drove the opponent to one knee.

"It wants me to stop you, but I won't, I won't!" red crimson began pouring out of Fai Dan's ears even as he said this, it was to be expected but even so, it was unpleasant.

"No you won't." my response was drowned out by the baleful roar of the weapon as it went about its dreadful work.

"Shepard, what's going on out there?" frantically demanded Tail as her voice came barrelling down the corridor towards me.

"I'm fine, just tying up some loose ends." I stared down at Fai Dan's corpse and felt I should say _something. _"Find peace Fai Dan. You died a man, not a puppet." I turned to leave but all of a sudden I had other things to worry about as the entire vessel jerked viciously to one side.

"Get out of there!" Garrus's yelled almost deafened me as I hurtled back towards the cockpit

"Tail, we're leaving!" I roared as an ear ripping screech filled the air. The young woman wasted no time in extracting herself from the cramped compartment; unfortunately fate had other ideas as the entire world violently flipped ninety degrees before plummeting backwards into oblivion; the last thing I heard was Vakarian's screeching tones echoing out of my earpiece.

* * *

><p>"<em>Shepard, Shepard!" the world was burning, section of building were collapsing all around me and the only think I could think about at this exact moment was the fact that I was going to die "Toddy!" my name was accompanied by a sudden slap that brought me back to reality with a thud.<em>

"_What!" I angrily retorted as the light of day forced its way into every crevice of my brain._

"_We have to go!" the shadowy outline above me barked as burning debris began to rain down all around us._

"_If you insist" the remark was pushed to one side as my rescuer manhandled me to my feet._

"_Shut up and run!" it wasn't a request that I need to be asked twice as we both began sprinting towards a nearby staircase, blue flames licking at our heels; the polished wooden surface of the door posed no problem as my foot smashed it from its hinges in a deadly shower of splinters._

"_Go up!" the order drew a incredulous looking from my companion as she glanced at the fire storm quickly encroaching on our position._

"_You can't be serious!" she angrily snapped as a cascade of sparks rained down all around us._

"_Do you want to die?" _

"_No"_

"_Then run!" I roared as a section of wall thundered backwards, revealing the darkening black sky outside; that seemed to have an impact because moments later my reluctant associate almost flew up the remaining steps as if her coat tails were on fire; and given the general situation they probably were._

"_It's catching up!" worriedly stated the woman as we dashed out onto a waiting rooftop, a split second later the entire doorway erupted as the infernal engulfed it from all sides._

"_Well, what are we going to do now?" frantically demand the woman a she nervously glanced off the edge of the immense skyscraper that seemed to rise endlessly into the heavens._

"_Will your biotics holdout until you reach the ground?" I quickly enquired as the concrete beneath us began to become particularly uncomfortable._

"_They might, if I'd had a goodnights sleep in the last couple of days" muttered the tired individual as she attempted to wipe the soot from her face; the answer only helped me to make up my mind, which was quickly demonstrated when the surprised figure found herself being ungainly thrown over one shoulder. "By the Goddess what are you doing?" spluttered the embarrassed woman as I took a decisive step back from the edge._

"_Hold on tight!" my voice was calm and steady, something that the struggling passenger found particularly terrifying._

"_Toddy you can't be serious!" I took yet another step back. "Toddy don't" frantically demanded my companion as I came to a shuddering halt "Just wait.." but her desperate plea fell on deaf ears as my form rocked forward with as much force as I could muster, the edge of the building reared up in front of us and then it was gone as we thundered downwards into the sickening gloom "Shepard!"_

* * *

><p>"Shepard?" the voice was different, young. "Shepard please wake up." I felt a hand gently slip down one side of my face as it continued speaking "Please!" the demand was almost pleading in its tone and it had an effect as my bruised brain forced reality back into the darkened world that surrounded me.<p>

"Not so loud" I whispered as light burnt its way onto my retinas.

"Keelah Don't worry me like that Commander." quietly stated Tail as she homed into focus above me.

"My apologies." I could have sworn that the girl was actually concerned about my welfare; it was a slightly alien feeling but a pleasant one nonetheless. "You alright?" she nodded in silent acknowledgement as she helped me to my feet. "Good, we could do without that kind of complication." I glanced up at the ruined shell of the cargo freighter that was spread all around us. "Must of been one hell of a fall" my colleague offered me a half full water bottle as I said this.

"I couldn't tell you Commander, both of us were knocked out on the way down; when I came around you were unconscious under a ton of wreckage." the teenager pointed to a broken section of the spacecraft "I dragged you out and tried to get in contact with rest of the ground team, but it seems we're too deep down to get a signal." as the girl continued her explanation I found myself becoming more and more impressed with her handling of the current situation.

"Nice work." I replied in a quiet tone as I began running a diagnostic of all my systems. "But we shouldn't stay here for too long, it isn't secure and the enemy could be on their way" this statement only reinforce the perilous feel of our situation.

"Should you really be moving Commander?" stammered Tali as I began to walk stiffly towards the nearest exit.

"Probably not, but we have a job to do." I muttered as the throbbing chest pain that had been the hallmark of this operation came back with a vengeance as I stooped to pass through a partly collapsed doorway. "We can't afford to wait around, hoping that our side finds us first." the explanation made sense to the young woman, who quickly fell in behind me as I advanced further into the underground structure. Time seemed to blur as we continued ever onwards into the swirling blackness, with only the occasional encounter to heighten the tension, but it couldn't last and as the two of us dragged ourselves of yet another mound of rubble we were confronted by something totally unexpected.

"You've got to be kidding me" Whispered the teenager as she slipped down the scree strewn slope behind me, directly in front of our isolated position was a towering chasm, several hundred metres high and an as we drew close it only became even more imposing as I carefully leant out over the bottomless pit that seemed to stretched out forever beneath us.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." I quietly stated as the hairs on the back of my neck stood up one after the other.

"We just need to find this thorian creature and determine what it, what it... Keelah" the girl's explanation came to a spluttering halt as out of the corner of my vision I caught sight of a sickening glob of green mucus coming flying past our faces as it disappeared deeper into the cavernous hole.

"Its above me, isn't it." but the local surroundings answered that question for me as there came a low, body shaking rumble that echoed throughout.

"Keelah, what is that?" softly whispered the teenage quarian we both slowly glanced up at the titanic form that hung suspended in mid-air.

"Nothing's ever simple is it?" I muttered as moments later there came the unmistakable sound of thundering feet.

"It's not going to be Garrus, is it." nervously stated my companion as we readied ourselves for the coming onslaught.

"Don't bet on it." I coldly replied as the first inhuman opponent came hurtling out of a doorway, it didn't get very far, but for everyone that was gunned down there were two to take its place.

"Shepard!" the frantic nature of Tali's voice snapped my attention away from the approaching threat, just in time to catch sight of the young woman struggling madly with one of the green skinned freaks.

"Hold still!" I barked as a split-second later a combat blade embedded itself cleanly into the lower half of the monsters skull, as the limp form fell away there was a soul shattering impact that sent me slamming into a far wall.

"Commander!" the world went black and for a long moment I had the horrible image of my young engineer being overwhelmed by an unending swarm of ghoulish nightmares; it didn't last as the world came rushing back with a vengeance as I found myself being hastily dragged to my feet. "Commander, talk to me!" nervously demanded the quarian as I desperately attempted to gain my footing. "Shepard!"

"I'm fine" I quickly replied as the unpleasant surroundings came back into focus. "What happened?" the girl shook her head in disbelief.

"I don't know, one moment you were standing in front of me the next, you were being thrown across the room." as she said this I quickly glanced around at the unfolding scenes being played out all around us.

"Must have been a biotic impact." I muttered as my internal systems began a hasty scan to assess any potential damage. "Which means there's somebody else here besides you and I." this statement didn't help the current situation and if to punish me for the remark there came even more footfalls as yet another wave of attackers.

"What are we going to do Commander?" quietly enquired the girl as she watched me assessing the situation, I didn't answer straight away. "Commander?"

"Get into that alcove!" my order was carried out with a certain level of confusion as Tali found herself being squeezed into a narrow gap in between two walls.

"Shepard?" Spluttered the female figure as she glanced up at me with a worried expression, but I'd already turned away so that the young woman couldn't see the cold determination in my eyes.

"Whatever happens, no matter what you see, don't leave that hole." I stated in a firm tone as my eyes closed shut; the world went dark as all outside stimuli died away, the only thing that remained was the glowing holographic display playing across the inside of my augmented vision.

"**WARNING, MANUAL OVERRIDE DETECTED!**" the alert flashed bold and bright as I mentally disabled my inbuilt safety mechanisms.

"**WARNING PROSTHETIC LIMITERS DEACTIVATED!**" moments later there came an almost indistinguishable sound as a small compartment under one of my shoulder blades slotted into a pre-designs position; I was once told the difference between combat stimulants and the thing that was about to be pumped directly into me; I don't remember much of the complicated nuances now but the one thing I do recall was the fact that they said it should only ever be done as a matter of last resort, there were a host of reasons why, primarily among them was the fact that the unpleasant cocktail contained not only concentrated adrenalin, but also testosterone which could cause serious short-term side-effects if counter agents weren't administered in a specified time period and don't even get me started on the opioids and amphetamines that were chucked into the mix.

"**WARNING HEART RATE AT DANGEROUS LEVELS. CARDIAC ARREST IMMINENT.**" I felt the blood inside my veins boil as the toxic cocktail worked its way into every nook and cranny as it blazed a path towards my brain.

"**DANGER, UNNATURAL BRAIN ACTIVITY, CONTACT COMPANY MEDICAL PERSONNEL IMMEDIATELY.**" but it was already too late, my soul screamed in pain as a life time of pent-up frustration was released and I roared along with it as the lucid world vigorously pushed itself to the fore.

* * *

><p><strong>(Thank you for reading this chapter, I hope you liked it)<strong>

**(let us know by review or commenting, if you're interested there is over work by me on my deviant art page, type in Gods-own and you'll be taken straight there)**

**(I won't be posting another chapter before the holidays due to the pressure my proof reader is under, but thank you all for following this work, it means so much to me)**

**(Yours sincerely Gods-own.) **


	15. Chapter 15 There and back again

**Chapter 15: There and back again**

Gray, it's a strange colour; most people can't seem to understand it, black or white yes, but not gray; the same thing seems to happen in the real world, everyone only cares about good or evil, dark or light, but never gray; which is rather sad because I've only been able to see thing in shades of that colour and now it was being hammered home.

"Aaah!" the roar slipped out from between my lips like warm water as the murky figures came hurtling out of the blurry surroundings from all sides; it was a futile attempt, blood and gristle was sent flying in all directions as I allowed myself to be swarmed by the churning tide of rage that seemed to surge out of my soul.

"Not enough, not nearly enough!" was that my voice? I couldn't tell anymore, everything was a gloomy haze, darkness and light came and went as unseen forces grasped and wrestled at my extremities. "More, I want more!" there it was again that same, disturbing tone, dripping with malice and pleasure and pain; all of this was lost on the unending assailants as they came rushing ever onwards through the swirling chaos towards me, but it didn't really matter because the things died just the same as anything else, bones broke, brains were crushed, all the while soaking the surrounding space in an slick, dark liquid.

"_Toddy_" the voice borrowed its way into my mind as shapes and shadows danced all around me. "_This is what you are Toddy!"_ it whispered "_Let it out, let it all out!_" frantic footfalls could be heard from somewhere close by as the sickening speaker leached its words into the darkest recesses of my drug soaked brain. "_Wake up, wake up and embrace oblivion!_" I roared, it was a long, baneful bellow that reverberated off all and sundry; moments later even more grainy figures rushed at me from behind, I lashed out at the nearest one, but the inhuman opponent somehow managed to dodge to one side as my attack slammed into something rock solid, but even this didn't stop me as I dragged the encumbered combat blade forcefully around in a wide arch as a second blur homed into view from my right, but somehow yet again the new opponents managed to avoid the slashing motion that cut through the swaying air.

"Shepard!" this time the cry was distant and somehow different; but my attention was diverted once again as I felt something grasped me viciously from behind, it wasn't the smartest move as the thunderous impact of the wall indicated, without pausing for breath I spun around to deliver a coup de grace to the dazed assailant, but it never came.

"Commander!" the female voice was close, so very close and definitely familiar. "Stop!" from somewhere inside my brain their came an automatic response as neural software picked up the unmistakable signal being broadcast by something on the woman's body.

"NEW FRIENDLY ID CODE DETECED!" the message flashed across my vision as there came an almost indistinguishable sound from inside me.

"MANUAL OVERRIDE DISABLED, SAFTEY LIMITERS REACTIVATED!" a sudden cold sensation began to extinguish the fire in my veins as yet more text scrawled across the internal heads up display. "ADMINISTERING COUNTER AGENT" the world jarred suddenly to one side as colour flooded into my shadowy surroundings and I didn't like what I saw.

"Please let go." whispered the pinned opponent as it morphed into the unmistakable outline of Garrus, whose throat I was calmly in the process of crushing; which I released as the struggling figurer crumbled into a heap onto the dust strewn floor.

"You all right Vakarian?" I softly enquired as Tali and Liara help the floored turian to his booted feet.

"Spirits Commander, what the hell!" muttered the C-sec officer as he lent forward to catch his breath. "You almost killed me!" I remand noticeable silent on the matter, unfortunately for me Gwin had other ideas.

"Way to rage cyborg." chuckled the asari as she walked across carnage towards me. "It's been a long time since I saw an A grade agent go berserk like that. Definitely got my juices flowing." I opened my mouth to let out a barbed retort to shut Gwin up, but what actually came out was an veritable tsunami of bright crimson as I coughed up a good handful of the gory liquid all over the surrounding stonework.

"Shepard!" frantically yelled the young quarian as she saw me collapse to one knee, blood leaking from my nose and mouth. "What's wrong?" the rest of the ground team hurriedly gathered around as I continued to cough and retch up lungful's of the unwanted fluid.

"Commander are you injured?" firmly demanded Garrus as he began running his omni-tool scanner over me. "Should we take you back to the Normandy?"

"I'm fine!" I angrily whispered as my feet carried me upright once more, but the nervous teenager wasn't going to have any of it and she manhandled me over towards a fallen pillar.

"Stop pestering me woman!" I snapped coldly as I made a futile attempt to rise.

"Sit still you stubborn bosh'tet!" barked the young woman as she began rummaging around in her suits belt.

"Mr Vakarian can you keep watch so that we don't ambushed again." it wasn't really a question and the armoured male new it.

"Affirmative" hastily spluttered the officer as he beat hasty retreat.

"Miss Azuma!" the mercenary face almost broke into a toothy grin as she allowed the young upstart to talk to her in this manner. "You said something about seeing this before?" the imposing adult paused in thought as she dumb down the reply for the girl in front of her.

"He's suffering from a rebound." even without seeing the teenager's face I could tell that she was confused.

"What's rebound?" forcefully demanded the suited individual as she pulling medical supplies out from if from nowhere.

"It's the damage that an individual takes from having their prosthetic limiters turned off." the young woman hastily glanced in my general direction.

"I take it that isn't a good thing." she whispered.

"Physical augmentations exert a certain amount of force on the host's body; if they were allowed to work at full capacity all the time then the result would be... unpleasant, and messy." I interrupted at this point.

"She means that the poor sod would be in agonizing pain, due to the amount of broken bones and a few ruptured organs." my eyes met Tali's for a long moment. "I'm fine; company agents have built in countermeasures to negate the side-effects of rebounds." I waved a hand as if to dismiss the cutting remark which I knew would be coming; unfortunately it came from an unexpected quarter.

"Yes, but going berserk with broken ribs is stupid by anyone's point of view." inwardly my mind began hurling abuse at the unwanted mercenary as I felt the girls worried gaze turn itself on me again "You have broken ribs!" exclaimed the teenager in worried tones as she began scanning me franticly.

"Ah, I take it you didn't know?" chuckled the mercenary as she kicked one of the dismembered corpses. "I only found out when I kidney punched him back at the research station, so he must have been hurt before then." the room went quiet as everyone else turned to look at me.

"Commander?" whispered Garrus as he nervously glanced over at me.

"I'm fine, it's only a couple of hair line fractures, I've had worse." I coldly replied.

"You had a couple of fractures." sarcastically retorted Gwin as she brought up her omni-tool data. "Congratulations now you're the proud owner of twelve different breaks and internal bleed."

"You're not helping!" I snapped as I slowly struggled back to my feet.

"Never meant to." laughed the asari as she pulled a blue tube from her waistband. "Now shut up and take your medicine!" I caught the cylinder in mid-air, which may have been a bad idea as the savage stab of pain clearly indicated.

"Tali, do you have any sterilized needles on you?" it was a rather stupid question, given her peoples infamously poor immune systems.

"Shepard, I'm Quarian. I have everything from sterile needles to contraceptives in this suit." hastily spluttered the teenager as she pulled a sealed sleeve from out of one of no doubt many hidden pockets. "Here you go" I accepted the plastic sleeve with a silent nod; a sterile smell filled the air as the top was ripped away to reveal the glistening utensils within.

"What are you going to do Commander?" whispered Doctor T'soni as she watched me pull one of the pristine instruments from its resting place and slot it into a wait socket point.

"I'm going to inject highly concentrated medi-gel straight into the contact area; that should hold everything together until we get back to the Normandy." this announcement didn't go down too well with certain members of my team, whose names shall not be given.

"Keelah are you mad?" shouted Miss Zorah as she angrily stepped in front of me. "If you push your body to hard they'll turn into open fractures; do you want that?" I carefully moved her to one side without answering. "Shepard!"

"The mission comes first" I firmly stated as I retrieved my fallen pistol from amongst the clutter of battle. "Nothing else matters."

"Not even you?" coldly snapped the girl.

"Not even me." I replied as I trudged off into the underground gloom.

* * *

><p>"I speak for the old growth, as I did for Saren, you are within and before the Thorian; it commands that you be in awe." the sickly green asari was starting to get on my nerves.<p>

"No thanks." I spat and before the clone could react I'd smashed a booted foot into the things face; sending it tumbling backwards into the black abyss.

"Never one for small talk were you agent?" chuckled the alien mercenary as she blasted a nearby zombie from its feet in a shower of unpleasant gore.

"Shut up and kill things Gwin." I coldly snapped as more of the unpleasant abominations started to drag themselves into view.

"Anything you say handsome." retorted the asari as she let fly with a churning surge of biotic energy.

"Commander!" I twisted my head around sharply at Garrus's vocal tone.

"What?" I snarled at him. The C-sec officer pointed up at one of the securing arms that held the towering monstrosity in place.

"Those neural nodes seem to be that things weak point, if we destroy its supports then the Thorian should fall to its death." I nodded in agreement "Good plan, glad I thought of it."

"Alright let go!" my order reverberated throughout the surrounding space as we started to force our way through a wall of razor sharp claws and disgusting acidic vomit; after a tense few moments the first of the bulging limbs loomed overhead. "Tali take it out!" I bellowed as I kicked yet another brain dead assailant backwards into a wall.

"Roger Commander." coldly replied the quarian as she levelled the business end of her weapon at the twitching lump; the girls voice was unfriendly and I got distinct feeling that I hadn't heard the end of our previous discussion.

"Vakarian, cover her!" I snapped as my weapon blew a hole clean through the head of an aggressive monster.

"On it sir." yelled the turian as he swept his rifle around to cut a number of encroaching assailants that were advancing on the lone engineer's position and it did the trick as a split-second later there came a deep rumbling roar as the offending appendage tore away from the wall in a deluge of stinking green slime.

"I think we got its attention." nervously spluttered Liara as she sent half a dozen marauding abominations hurtling into the awaiting chasm next to her.

"Stay focused!" I coldly stated as we hastily fought our way ever upwards towards the next floor of the complex, but even as my team took their first steps onto the wait concrete a ball of biotic energy slammed into us from a nearby gallery.

"Commander!" The doctor's frantic screams filled the air as the unfortunately individual was sent hurtling towards the awaiting abyss, my body reacted on impulse and even as the figure flew over the edge I wrapped a metallic hand around a surprisingly small wrist as the young asari came to a halt, hard against the stone architecture.

"Get a grip!" I muttered from between clenched teeth as I felt something crack.

"I'm trying!" spluttered the alien as she scrambled away from the crumbling masonry.

"Try harder!" I coldly retorted as out of the corner of my vision I caught sight of more of those natural abominations rushing towards our isolated position. "Vakarian!" fortunately for everyone the turian's reflexes kicked in and he started to blast away at the approaching horde with military precision.

"Stop messing with that child and help us!" snapped Gwin, as she started to let fly with her biotics; I resisted the urge to swear at her as the prone outline of my subordinate finally made its way over the lip of the crevasse.

"Are you alright Commander?" stammered the scientist as she watched me stagger back to my feet.

"I'm fine" the reply was more forceful than I'd intended but there was an unmistakable taste of copper in my mouth and the world was starting blur at the edges; that wasn't a good sign.

"Shepard?" Tali's voice echoed in my ears as reality started to slur. "Shepard!"

"I'm fine!" I snapped automatically as my neural hardware began to pump more medi-gel into my broken body. "Stay focused!" I could tell that the quarian wasn't impressed at all, but that concern had to be pushed to one side as an unexpected figure homed into view.

"You will bow before the Thorian!" Roared the clone as she came storming out of a side passage.

"Didn't I kill you already?" My question went unanswered as the green skinned asari unleashed a powerful surge of dark energy at me. "Well, I'll just have to kill you again then." I muttered as my pistol flashed, the first two rounds bit into to the thing's chest, blowing away flesh and bone, but the creature didn't have time to consider this as the final projectile slammed heavily into the assailant's forehead, splattering the things brains all over the stonework behind her.

"Glad to see your knack with women hasn't changed agent." cheerfully stated the mercenary as she kicked a doomed attacker off into the waiting pit below.

"You've already made that joke Gwin. What's the matter, going senile in your old age?" the curt comeback seemed to have the desired effect as the asaris' face contorted into a silent snarl. She turned her attention to ripping a series of unfortunate individuals in half with the aid of biotics.

"We need to go!" shouted Garrus as he cut down several abominations as clambered over a mound of rubble.

"I know!" I snapped as I kicked one of the zombie-like things so hard in the face that its head came clean off. "I'm working on it!" but lady luck wasn't one to be kept waiting and as we struggle through the never-ending opposition I got the distinct feeling that we were being watched by someone or something. "I've got a bad feeling about this." I whispered as we destroyed yet another one of the hanging support arms; as the titanic monstrosities bellow reverberated throughout the crumbling structure I could have sworn that my radar picked up a faint signal as something dashed rapidly across a higher level of the structure.

"Did you see that Commander?" quietly asked Vakarian as he slowed down to walk next to me.

"You mean that ping just now?" I replied with a lack of interest.

"Yes"

"I did, stay alert, they're probably going to try and ambush us again" this remark unsurprisingly caused my subordinate to adjusted his clawed grip on his assault rifle.

"Understood Commander" and with that the C-sec officer took point. I glanced back over at the rest of my team as he did so, the two asari seemed alright but it was hard to tell with their kind; what was bothering me though was the uncomfortable quietness that was seeping out from my teenage engineer who was bringing up the rear; I got the distinct feeling that I going to need to deal with it sooner rather than later, but this train of thought was interrupted halfway up a ruined staircase as an unmistakable silhouette came into view.

"How many times do I need to kill the same goddamn asari?" I roared as the frustrating clone threw itself bodily at me, the impact sent both of us hurtling into a nearby wall with an uncomfortable thud as my back took the brunt of the impact. "Get off!" I quietly growled as the assailant desperately attempted to rip out my throat with its teeth. "I said get off!" my voice thundered off the nearby surroundings as I took hold of the attackers head with both hands, there was a sudden sharp crack as I jerked the woman's face backwards until it was at a ninety degree angle from her body.

"Shepard, are you alright?" I glanced up from the lifeless form just in time to see Garrus viciously smash an ungrateful attacker in the stomach with the butt of his weapon.

"Don't worry about me, worry about yourself!" I ordered as my hands let go of the broken figure. "Tali get up here!" but the girl's voice just as quickly came back up towards me as I said this.

"I can't, they're really starting to get close Commander." I noted the focused tone in the teenager's voice and instantly came to a decision.

"Gwin, Garrus force your way through, I'm going to go back and help Tali!" I didn't wait for an answer as I took the stairs three steps at a time back down towards the girl's position; the sounds of battle sang out all about me as the young quarian came into view, desperately attempting to hold back an ever increasing number of stumbling assailants. "Fall back, that's an order!" the girl didn't need to told twice as she darted up the last few meters that separated us and just in time as I hurled a trio of metallic discs through the air. "Fire in the hole!" I shouted as I grabbed Tali by the arm and held her against me. The warning didn't come a moment too soon as the detonation sent a shockwave throughout the surrounding structure as shrapnel rained down all around us.

"Keelah that was close." whispered the suited figurer as she looked up at me.

"Are you alright?" I quietly enquired as my gaze quickly ran over the dust covered woman.

"I'm fine!" snapped Tali as she walked coldly up the waiting stairs, I followed a split second later, only pausing to look at the smoking pile of rubble that know blocked the way out and muttered a simple phrase: "Well shit."

* * *

><p>The monster gave a deafening screech as its last support gave way under a burning hail of lead as the rounds cut effortlessly through its leathery hide; like a falling mountain it thundered down the hole, crashing and smashing into the architecture as it did until it completely disappeared from site; but as ever on this endeavour, something else just as quickly attracted my attention.<p>

"Spirits, what is that?" muttered Vakarian as I heard an unpleasant sound emanating from corner of the room; it was soul sickening in its tone and understandably everyone's hand went to their weapon.

"Stay here, I'll check it out" the order had barely left my mouth when we sure something drop heavily onto the floor and somehow unsurprisingly it looked awfully familiar. "Don't tell me that I need to tell kill that asari again!" I was starting to hope that no one else knew this particular magic trick otherwise it would make my job almost unbearable if I'd needed to kill everyone five or six times before they stayed dead.

"Shiala is that you?" the mercenary's voice travelled past me and onwards towards its intended destination.

"Gwin?" weakly spluttered the slime covered alien as she dragged herself up right. "What are you doing here?" I glanced over at the temporary member of my team.

"A friend of yours?" I asked coldly.

"You could say that" muttered the woman as she quickly turned her face away and I got the distinct impression that those two were _that kind_ of friend; but almost instantaneously my thought process slipped back into a professional mindset.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded as we slowly moved towards the isolated figure, the tired looking asari nervously snapped off a quick stare at her acquaintance as my team came to a halt a few meters away.

"I serve..." she paused for half a second before continuing "I served Matriarch Benezia and when she allied with Saren so did I" unsurprisingly this announcement didn't inspire confidence in everyone and quickly I found that I wasn't the only one pointing a weapon at this bitch.

"On your knees!" I roared.

"What?" stammered the terrified woman as she took a step backward.

"On your fucking knees, now!" the cold expression on my face must have gotten the message across because after a long second the reluctant prisoner slowly lowered herself down onto the bone hard floor. "Hands behind your head!" Shiala dutifully obeyed, if with a note of frustration. "Garrus check her."

"On it Commander." replied the turian as he hastily but his weapon away before approaching the reluctant participant. "Don't be alarmed miss, I'm a trained C-sec officer, this will be over shortly" the kneeling woman didn't looked convinced and let her opinions be known.

"There's no need for this, I'm not a threat to you!" she angrily snapped as the pat down came to an end.

"Well?" I forcefully enquired in an authoritative tone.

"She clean, well metaphorically speaking, but she's probably a commando so don't take any chances." replied my subordinate as he wiped a gloved talon on a nearby wall. "At the moment all she's got on her is slime." I glanced over at Liara.

"Do you know her?" The good doctor knelt down in front of the prone figure, after what felt like a lifetime she rose back to her feet. "Well do you?" I calmly demanded as the pistol twitched in my grip.

"I recognize her, she's one of my mother's most trusted disciples." answered T'soni as she step away from the waiting figure, after hearing this my mind was overwhelmed by a deluge questions.

"Alright, you can get up, but do it slowly." my statement seemed to lift the weight from the asari's shoulders as she stood.

"I understand" Muttered Shiala as she struggled to her feet. "Can I continue my explanation now?" I nodded slowly in acceptance as I began scouring my internal hard drive to see if the company had any information on the individual in front of me. "My former master foresaw the influence that Saren would have; she joined him in an attempt to guide him down a gentle path" as I heard this I couldn't help but feel sorry for the matriarch, she always was someone who tried to save others, only this time it seemed to have come back to bite her, hard. "But that man is... compelling and Benezia lost her way."

"Obviously, otherwise she wouldn't have allowed him to send assassins after her daughter, not if she was the same woman that I knew." I could tell as soon as I said this that Liara was staring at me with a shocked expression, but my mind returned to the task at hand.

"Benezia underestimated Saren, as did I; we came to believe in his cause and his goals." as Shiala continued her explanation I found myself becoming more and more concerned with what I was hearing. "The strength of his influence is troubling."

"There's a colony that can attest to that." I muttered as I glanced over at Tali, she obviously must have had the same idea because we found ourselves staring straight at each other.

"My mother sought to turn the river and was swept away instead." whispered Doctor T'soni in a sad tone.

"Stay focused" the order jerked the woman out of her melancholy. "What I want to know is how someone as powerful as an Asari Matriarch came to be under the control of a traitor like Saren?" it was obviously the question that was playing on everyone's mind because I saw out of the corner of my vision both Vakarian and Tali's nodding their heads in silent agreement .

"The turian has a vessel, a colossal warship, unlike anything I've ever seen before; he calls it Sovereign, it can dominate minds." the world went cold as she said this.

"It can do what?" spluttered Garrus, who had begun pacing up and down nervously.

"That can't be possible, a ship shouldn't be able to control living things." stated Liara as she looked1 towards me for an explanation. "Right Commander?" but I wasn't really paying attention by this point because all of my focus was turned to searching my files for any image of the mysterious ship from Eden Prime.

"Is this Sovereign?" I forcefully asked as I projected a picture on the wall with my omni-tool.

"Yes that's the vessel that I was telling you about." calmly replied Shiala.

"Keelah, that thing's massive!" whispered Tali as she leant forward to get a better look at the image.

"Why haven't we seen this before Shepard?" firmly enquired the C-sec officer as he came to a shuddering halt in front of me.

"Because it's highly classified, the council didn't want to cause unnecessary panic within the galactic public by allowing these photographs to circulate." this didn't seem to sit well with my subordinate but he didn't push the point. "Miss Zorah, do you have any ideas of how something like this is possible from an engineering point of view?" the girl glanced up in surprise at my question.

"Keelah Shepard, I don't even know where to start, if I had some hard data I could potentially give you a theory, but without that I wouldn't dare speculate." I sighed when I heard this; I was going to be even more on my guard from now on I thought.

"He calls it indoctrination; the process is subtle, it may take days, even weeks, but in the end it is absolute." explained Shiala calmly. "I was a willing slave when I was brought to this planet; my biotics were needed to communicate with the Thorian." I interrupted at this point.

"Why did he want to talk to it?" the asari paused briefly in thought before continuing.

"Saren knows your searching for the Conduit and for him; he attacked the Thorian so you couldn't gain the Cipher."

"What's the Cipher and why did he need it?" the woman gave me a confused expression as he heard this.

"The beacon on Eden Prime gave you visions did it not?" I felt everyone gazing at me in shocked surprise.

"So?" I coldly retorted.

"But they were unclear and confused weren't they; that is because the visions were only meant for a Prothean mind" the explanation was rather obvious, but even so I could have sworn that several members of my team mentally slapped for missing it.

"So the Cipher is what, understanding?" the woman didn't seem too happy with this simplification, but I wasn't in the mood for all the asaris' philosophical bullshit.

"In a way, yes" replied the female figure as she cleaned some of the gore from her face.

"And you gave this knowledge to Saren?" my voice was cold as I said this.

"I did." muttered Shiala in a shameful tone.

"Then you can give it to me." I ordered, as soon as the words left my mouth I knew exactly where this was heading because every asari in the room had fallen silent.

"There is a way, I can transfer the knowledge from my brain to yours; as I did with Saren." Doctor T'soni began to nervously fidget as I interrupted the woman's explanation once more.

"You mean an asari joining." the shocked looks on everyone's face got on my nerves ever so slightly. "Oh come on people, did you think I was a virgin or something?" an extremely awkward air filled the empty silence as I forced the topic onwards. "So can we get on with this or what?" this statement seemed to jog Shiala back into reality as she hurriedly turned her attention to the task at hand.

"Try to relax Commander; slow, deep breaths, let go of your physical shell; reach out to grasp the thread that binds us" her words were like sad poetry, painful and poignant.

"Get on with it!" I snapped as my normally limitless patience began to reach its end; understandably this didn't go down so well with the speaker as she hastened through the ceremony.

"Open yourself to the universe Commander; embrace eternity!" the woman's eyes turned jet black and I felt an all too familiar sensation as our minds was shaken to their very foundations; images filled my waking world, the past, the present. Circuitry mixed with brain matter, creatures with beard like tentacles and clawed fingers, a mouth opening to roar or scream. Then it was over and darkness followed, were only silence reigned.

* * *

><p>"<em>Toddy<em>" a deeply disturbing tone leached into my ears.

"_It's not time yet Toddy" _it flowed within me like an unseen stream.

"_Wake up, wake and ..." _it chuckled unpleasantly as the unwonted speaker got the irony. "_Embrace oblivion!"_ reality came rushing back, the world rushed up to meet me as I toppled like a cut tree towards the not so soft stone floor.

"Shepard!" fortunately for everyone Vakarian was there in a flash and for once I was rather glad that I'd brought along the turian as he steadied me with on hand. "Are you alright Commander?" the C-sec officer glanced at me nervously "You went a bit odd."

"I'm fine!" my forceful reassurance wasn't really convincing, not even to myself as I swayed ever so slightly on my feet.

"Did it work cyborg?" quietly enquired Gwin as she looked over at her acquaintance with a knowing stare.

"No, all I saw was more broken images, it still didn't make any sense." Liara gingerly edged her way into the conversation.

"You've been given a great gift Commander, with experience of an entire people; it will like take time for your brain to re-adjust." I inwardly sighed as I heard this, nothing was ever easy.

"We need to get you back to the Normandy Shepard." interrupted Tali as she attempted to take hold of the unwonted debate. "You need medical attention."

"After we've finished here." I muttered as I allowed my mind to turn once more towards the unfinished remnants of the task in front of me. "I'm sorry miss but I can't just let you walk away, too much is at stake here" Shiala realized straight away where this was heading.

"But you freed me from the Thorian and Saren, I'm not a threat to anyone!" the woman frantically glanced at her so called friend. "Gwin tell him!"

"I'm sorry babe, I truly am, but this is business, it's nothing personal." the asari didn't have a moment to respond as my weapon flared, sending the unfortunate figure thundering backwards into a nearby wall, where she slipped down slowly until coming to rest on the cold, hard floor.

"Keelah what have you done?" whispered the quarian as she took a horrified step away from me.

"My job." I calmly replied as I turned my attention towards finding a way out.

"Your job, your job, you just killed an unarmed woman you bosh'tet!" I turned to glare at her coldly at her remark.

"After what happened earlier I'm surprised you're questioning me now." my response in hindsight might not have been the best comeback as it only seemed to throw gas on the fire as I rapidly found out.

"That was different, we didn't have a choice!" snapped Tali angrily as he jabbed a finger in my direction. "This is... this is just evil!" emotionally spat the girl moments before she heatedly disappeared from view down a flight of stairs.

"Vakarian, T'soni go after her, make sure that she doesn't do anything stupid." the uncomfortable pair just as a hastily chased after their teammate as I turned my attention back towards the gore soaked corpse in front of me.

"Don't feel bad about it cyborg, you were just following orders." cheerfully stated the mercenary as she walked over towards the gaping chasm to see is she could catch sight of the unfolding dramatics below us.

"Yes I was." I whispered as I slowly moved over towards her, "But this, this is personal." the arm blade bite deep into the asari's back as I said this. "I know you were the one who set fire to that skyscraper back on Thessia Gwin." I twisted the weapon slowly as I lifted the twitching figure off the floor. I leaned in close and whispered coldly to the twitching woman "And I made a promise to a friend, that I would kill you if we ever meet again and you know me Gwin, I'm a man of my word." a split second later my metallic arm came free as I sent the doomed figure hurtling ever downwards into the pitch black pit below.

* * *

><p>The trek back to the Normandy was tedious to say the least, at some point Liara had enquired about what had happened to our missing associate, but my forceful silence had stonewalled the question; Tali had remained suspiciously quiet the entire time and I got the distinct feeling that she had seen what I'd done. Doctor Chakwas wasn't so happy to see me either, even before my feet had had fully touched down onto the cold metal of the bridge I was confronted by the good doctor "I want you in the sick bay Commander. Now." the doctor's face could sink battleships and on a normal day I wouldn't have thought twice about disobeying her, unfortunately this wasn't a usual day.<p>

"After I've given my report to the Council." my reply went down like a ton of bricks.

"Now Agent!" her voice reverberated throughout the confines of the bridge and even I found myself taking a step backwards.

"Alright doctor alright." I raised my hands up in acceptance as the mature lady marched me towards the waiting staircase.

"You look like hell Commander." chuckled Wrex, as he caught sight of me emerging onto the crew deck, with a furious practitioner in tow.

"Shut up Wrex or I'll flush you out an air lock." the krogan erupted in stomach shaking laughter as he heard this.

"I wouldn't expect anything else Shepard." retorted the towering mercenary as stomped away towards the waiting cargo elevator.

"Commander!" the doctor's voice was unusually forceful and I sighed inwardly.

"I know ma'am, I know." I quietly muttered as the two of us finally arrived at the empty med-bay, without pausing for breath Chakwas locked both doors before turning to glare at me.

"Strip!" the woman's tone left nothing in doubt.

"Yes ma'am." saying it was easier than doing it as I soon found out. Pain flashed throughout my system as the crushed and battered cuirass came free; I thought the doctor was about to say something scathing until she sure me swaying dangerously from side to side.

"Shepard!" I felt her surprisingly strong grip as the grey haired woman helped me over towards a waiting examination bed. "Take it easy, lie back, I need to have a look at you." calmly stated the specialist as she began running a number of internal scans on my broken form. "Can you tell me anything about your injury?" there was a substantial pause as I tried to think out a good way to tell her. "Agent!" but my mind came up blank.

"I've got twelve different rib fractures, internal bleeding and a probable narcotic and hormonal overdose." understandably this particular revelation didn't go down to well with the consultant.

"I don't even know why I bother sometimes." muttered the annoyed doctor as she began pulling a whole host of unpleasant looking equipment from a maze of cabinets and drawers. "Don't move!" And I didn't. Time slowly past by as I slipped in and out of consciousness, eventually after what felt like an eternity the woman's face came into focus directly above me.

"Is it over doc?" I whispered hoarsely as I struggled to find my voice, I noticed that Chakwas paused for half a moment before answering.

"More or less." came the response as she disappeared once more from site "Please don't move, I'm going to sit you up." with soundless precision the top half of the examination table changed until I found myself partly upright, with the good doctor in front of me. "Are you comfortable Commander?" enquired the specialist as she hocked me up to an intravenous drip.

"As much as can be expected." I glanced over at the plastic container that was suspended from a nearby hanger. "What's in the bag ma'am?" the woman snapped her attention away from a nasty looking injection that she was prepping to answer my question.

"It is ultra-strength medi-gel, I'm pumping it throughout your body Commander"

"Wouldn't it be easier to just apply it directly to my rib cage?" the expression on the doctors' face gave me the distinct impression that it wasn't that simple.

"I've done a full depth scan on you Shepard and it isn't good." as she said this, a holographic outline of my body appeared in midair. "Besides the few breaks that you've mentioned, I found at least six more hairline fractures in both your pelvis and collarbone; there is also evidence of numerous muscle tears, in all honesty Commander it's a miracle that you're still standing as it is." I felt a twang of pain as a needle went into my side. "And don't even get me started on your blood work." she waved a hand at a graph that was being drawn next to her.

"Adrenaline, testosterone and god knows what else; I had to flood your system with Beta blockers to stop you from having a heart attack, your blood pressure is through the roof and I've been forced to take your pulse the old fashioned way since using a stethoscope is giving me a splitting headache." Chakwas gave me a scathing glare as she help me to my feet.

"I'm confining you to bed for at least a week, no work or any strenuous activity, am I clear?"

"The mission takes precedent doctor." I whispered as the two of us slowly made our way towards my private quarters.

"As your doctor I have the authority to override your orders temporarily if injuries sustained during your operations threatens your wellbeing both as a patient and as a valuable military asset." snapped the specialist as she lowered me into the waiting bed. "Don't make me relieve you of command." I chuckled ever so slightly at hearing this, which turned out to be an agonizing mistake as a flash of red haze danced across my vision. "See, I told you so." the stately lady suddenly turned all mother hen as she began fluffing one of my pillows. "I'll be back to check up on you in a couple of hours, so try and rest Commander." I silently nodded in acceptance as it seemed to be the least uncomfortable way of answering. "Good night Shepard."

"Good night Doctor." the time ticked by as I waited in the dark for a long moment until my mind was sure that the specialist wasn't listening, without pause for a painful breath I dragged myself over towards my personal terminal that languished in a corner of the room.

"Authenticate ID code." there was a small whine as the machines inbuilt scan did a quick rundown of my person.

"_Identification code confirmed_" the synthetic voice stated "_Welcome back Commander Shepard_" I set up a secure link through a private comm buoy to a Synthetic Insights company building on the outskirts of London; as the line connected for the first time in a long time I started to feel uneasy, unsure what the outcome would be, unsure how Mr Coyle would respond.

"Andrew my boy, do you know what time it is?" my fear, my anxiousness suddenly just faded away as I heard that calm, confident accent.

"My apologies sir." the chairman could tell straight away that something wasn't right, purely by the tone of my voice.

"What's wrong?" demanded the concerned speaker as I heard him hastily dragged himself out of his warm bed.

"It's nothing, I'll be fine." my superior didn't believe a word of it.

"What happened on Feros?" I paused for half a moment before answering.

"The mission was more complicated than expected." understandably my employer wasn't fooled by a roundabout way that I'd responded.

"Last time you said that you had just jumped from a mile high skyscraper." grumbled the CEO as he began, what I assumed was hastily typing on a keyboard. "And do you remember how that turned out?" I did. "I've just sent a message to Dolan; he'll be expecting you on the Citadel, I want you to go there as soon as possible, am I clear?" it wasn't a question.

"Give me a couple of days and I'll get right on it."

"What, why can't you do it now?" suspiciously enquired Mr Coyle as he stopped whatever he was doing.

"I'm confined to my private quarters, doctor's orders." understandably this announcement didn't go down to well.

"How bad is the damage?" when I told him he wasn't impressed as the angry rant clearly indicated. "Do I make myself clear agent?" the man's tone was completely uncompromising as he finished my lashing down.

"Completely Sir" I moved stiffly in the chair as I said this.

"Do you have anything else to report?" he calmly asked

"Yes sir I do" there was a long pause after I said this.

"Let's hear it then." whispered the chairman as the background noise faded away; the minutes drifted by as I gave a brief rundown on what had happened at the colony; I left nothing out and by the end of the debriefing my superior had fallen completely silent.

"Is this information accurate?" quietly enquired the unseen speaker.

"Yes sir." I replied, even more silence followed this statement. "What do you want me to do about it sir?" this seemed to snapped the distracted man back into reality as the words left my mouth.

"Do we know where the hell this "Sovereign" came from?" asked Mr Coyle as he lit an unseen cigar.

"No sir."

"And you're sure about the mind control capabilities?" I answered without hesitation.

"Given what I saw on Eden Prime and what the eyewitness said I'm of the belief that the vessel can dominate minds." I paused ever so slightly before continuing. "Besides it would make sense of the matriarch's recent behaviour." my tone must have betrayed what I was feeling because the man's voice took on a note of concern.

"You need to stay focused lad, the mission comes first remember?" I shook the shadows of the past from my mind as I responded.

"I remember sir." the coldness of the answer seemed to reassure my employer.

"Glad to hear it sir." out of the corner of my hearing I could've sworn that I heard footsteps coming towards my general location.

"Apologies sir, I've got to go." the line went dead as I cut the communication short, which was fortunate as there came a gentle knocking on my cabin door.

"Skipper?" the gunnery chief's unmistakable drone echoed out of the door speaker. "The doctor asked me to check up on you" I made a mental note not to underestimate the ship's medical practitioner in the future.

"I'm fine chief." there was a long pause before my subordinate's voice replied.

"May I come in sir?" I wasn't in the mood to be disturbed, but rank does have its responsibilities and as Dolan always reminds me team morale is everything.

"Enter!" the door pulled apart to allow the Marine access into my confined quarters.

"Sorry to disturb you Commander but I..." Williams explanation came to a shuddering halt as her face turned bright red, which was rather understandable since I was only wearing a pair of loose fitting trousers and that was about it. "I'm sorry sir, I didn't realise that you went properly dressed yet" the woman spun on her heels and frantically attempted to extract herself from the current situation.

"I didn't dismiss you marine" I barked as my professional demeanour returned as did hers it seemed, because without pausing for breath the soldier in front of me slammed to attention.

"Sorry sir!" snapped the grunt as she wheeled to face me.

"That's more like it" I muttered a one of my hands dragged a black combat top out of a waiting draw. "Now take a seat." the order was obeyed instantly and even before I'd gotten fully dressed I heard the sound of leather squeaking under pressure. "What did you want to talk about?" the lone figure suddenly became very apprehensive as she worked up the courage to continue. "Chief?" my voice was distinctly more forceful this time.

"I wanted to talk to you about the quarian." spluttered the uncertain marine as she glanced nervously to one side.

"You mean Tali'Zorah." I coldly stated.

"Yes Commander, Tali" hastily replied the subordinate as she squirmed under my gaze "I meant to say that." I dragged a bottle of gin out of a side drawer as I listened to the ongoing conversation. "Miss Zorah has been acting differently since she came back from the mission, more distant, quiet even" my form came to a halt as I heard this. "And I was wondering if maybe you could go and talk to her?" there was a long silence as the question went out to me. "Commander?" I slowly looked down at the glass in my right hand.

"I shot an unarmed woman in front of her chief, what do you want me to tell that girl, that it was alright, that it was the right thing to do?" an uncomfortable silence descended as I said this."I didn't think so." I ran a hand over my tired eyes. "If you don't mind Williams, I would like some time alone." the woman was only too grateful to get away from the unpleasant surroundings, as the door closed shut behind her I began to go over the earlier day's events in my head and as ever the case I found myself falling silent as the darkness closed in all around me.

* * *

><p><strong>(I hope you liked this chapter and thank you all for reading this work; I wish you all a happy new year)<strong>

**(If you want to review or leave a comment please do)**

**(Sincerely Gods-own)**


	16. Chapter 16: What it means

_**Well here it is folks, Shattered souls has passed the 100,000 word mark, a big thank you to all those who have read this work and an even bigger thank you to my proofreaders for making this possible.**_

_**As this is such a special occasion I have a favourer to ask of all of you, could you please leave a comment or review; I know I've asked this before but this last month as been really trying for both myself and my proof reader (Darth Azrael) any acknowledgment of our efforts would be really appreciated, thank you.**_

_**Sincerely Gods-own. **_

**Chapter 16: What it means**

In the bleak darkness I waited, silent and alone as my brain slogged itself back over the day's grizzly events; unfortunately even here reality had a habit of finding me.

"You asleep Commander?" the Flight Lieutenant's voice suddenly blurted out of the rooms private speakers.

"Not anymore helmsman." I coldly retorted as the lights in my quarters came back on. "What do you want?"

"Council's on the line, they want to speak with you." He said I attempted to drag myself upright.

"What does the doctor say?" there was a long pause before there came an answer.

"She doesn't know." I couldn't help but chuckle slightly as I heard it.

"Put them through on split screen to my private terminal Lieutenant."

"Roger that Commander." the line went dead as three unmistakably unhappy faces appeared on holographic monitor.

"Commander, Exogeni should have told us about the Thorian; it would have made your job much easier." I brushed the political statement to one side with a wave of my hand as I walked over towards the waiting debate.

"I doubt it." at that moment the salarian representative forcefully interrupted.

"You might have been able to capture it for study instead of destroying it, if you had known." I didn't particularly like the alien's tone and I let them know it.

"If you don't like the results you shouldn't have sent me." the asari councillor hastily interjected before the debriefing completely disintegrated into a diplomatic incident.

"Perhaps it's for the best then, the lengths taken to control the outbreak were extreme but necessary." unsurprisingly the turian spokesman couldn't help but add his opinion to the conversation.

"Of course they were extreme." the alien spat out the venomous comment as he continued his attack "What do you expect from a corporate agent; besides Shepard would do anything to cover up human mistakes." my already limited patience had been pushed well beyond its limits in the last couple of days and this final remark well and truly was the straw that broke the camel's back

"I contained the situation!" I snarled as the recipients' nervously glanced at one another. "Did you want an foreign plague to sweep through the sector, did you?" the politicians attempted to form a half-assed apology but I wasn't having any of it. "I didn't think so." I glared daggers at the spluttering turian as I finished my retort "You chose me because I do the things that no one else is willing or able to do, don't forget that!" the room went silent as the declaration sank home.

"We won't Commander." quietly replied the middle-aged asari as she looked over at her male colleagues with noticeable disapproval . "We'll be waiting for your next report, good luck." the blinking line went dead as I crumpled forward over the table as my legs gave way underneath me.

"God I need a drink" I remember muttering as I dragged a bottle of strange looking liqueur out from a bottom drawer of the desk; the alcohol stung the back of my throat as it worked its way into my gullet.

"Commander, do you have a moment?" Liara's voice shook me from the drunken stupor that I was starting to slip into.

"What do you want Doctor T'soni?" my tone must have been more intimidating than I had intended because the woman's hesitant reply came back as a spluttering response, the asari desperately attempting to find her words "Just come in." I said tiredly; fortunately for the unwanted visitor the days past events were quickly catching up with me and I quickly found myself rapidly running out of energy to resist. The door parted to reveal the young lady on the other side.

"Sorry for intruding." whispered the fidgeting individual as she slowly inched her way into the darkened space, with every passing moment it became even more apparent that the good doctor was extremely uncomfortable with the current situation, which was rather understandable given the fact that I was naked from the waist up. "Goddess Shepard, I didn't mean to... to" Liara's voice faltered as I caught sight of her face turning a deep shade of blue as she stared at my bare chest.

"Eyes up Doctor, I'm not in the mood for inspection." I calmly stated as I pointed towards my face with a robotic finger.

"Of course, I got lost in thought for a moment." spluttered the alien woman as she desperately attempted to regain her composure.

"I'm sure you did. What did you want to talk about Miss T'soni?" I quietly repeated as I lifted the half empty bottle to my lips once more.

"You looked...pale, are you suffering any ill effects from the Cipher?"

"I'm fine, just a bit tired, that's all. But this stuff is helping no end." as soon as I said this I could tell that the young asari had an ulterior motive for being here. "What is it that you want doctor?" the room fell silent as she took a tentative step towards me.

"I might be able to help you with the Cipher; I am an expert on the Protheans, if I join my consciousness with yours, maybe we can make some sense of the information." this announcement sent up red flags in my mind, as I weighed up the potential pitfalls of such a manoeuvre. "Commander?" the request shook me from my contemplation. "What do you say?"

"I'm sorry doctor, I can't allow that." my response didn't seem to totally take the scientist by surprise as she hastily made an apologetic excuse before turning to leave, but even as she did this a questioning expression spread itself across her face.

"Is it because you're worried that I'll see things that you don't want me to see Commander?" the question took me slightly by surprise but my mind rallied itself as I delivered a reply almost on impulse.

"Yes."

"Was that the reason that Miss Shiala had to die, because she saw something that she wasn't supposed to?" the sharpness of the comment took me by surprise and I fell silent. "I thought as much." sadly whispered Liara as she stepped back through the door.

* * *

><p>The next few days drifted by as I found myself confined to privet quarters, unsurprisingly by Doctors orders; to say that I found the entire experience boring would be an understatement, being tortured on Invictus for a week was more pleasant than those seventy two hours that I spent alone with my memories, with Chakwas's twice daily inspections the only thing that broke the silent monotony, or so I thought.<p>

"Sorry to intrude Commander." my executive officers voice came thundering out over the room's intercom.

"What's the situation Pressly?" it wasn't usual for the Normandy's second in command to interact with me over the ships speakers, he normally came to me in person to give a situation report.

"You have a priority one transmission from Arcturus Station, its admiral Hackett, he wants to talk to you." he explained I pulled my fatigues on.

"Patch it through to the conference room, I'll be there shortly."

"Already done Commander." I made a mental note to thank Anderson next time I saw him, for his selection of commissioned officers; the door opened and I found myself storming out onto the crew deck. "Helmsman!" to his credit Joker answered quickly.

"Yes Commander?" the pilot's tone was flustered, as if I'd disrupted him from something important (a suggestion that I didn't really want to contemplate, since it was still technically the nightshift and the flight lieutenant should be on his own at the front of the ship)

"I hope I'm not disturbing you." I snapped, the man quickly took the hint and turned his total attention to the request.

"Not at all commander." loudly stated the unseen speaker as I climbed up the right side staircase.

"I take it that we're still in the Hercules system?" it wasn't really a question.

"Right on Commander, we just finished scanning the last remaining planet, just like you ordered." as the unseen pilot said this I materialised on the bridge, which caught several people (including Joker) totally by surprise.

"I want you to set a course for the Armstrong Nebula, full burn." he jumped to it as I heard the sounds of his fingers dancing over the holographic controls echoing down the com-link.

"Course set Commander, ETA twelve hours at full burn." I paused just before heading off towards the conference room.

"How long before the day shift report in Helmsman?" there was a confused silence for half a moment as the bemused individual hastily contemplated the question.

"About six hours Commander."

"Inform me twenty minutes before the shift rotation." the pilot gave an affirmative response as the metallic door closed shut behind me.

"Normandy, this is admiral Hackett, we getting reports warning of a marked increase in geth activity in the Skylian Verge" I ran a hand over my face as I heard this.

"Did you read my report on Feros Sir?"

"I did." calmly replied my superior. "We sent surveillance drones, they've identified four key outposts in the Armstrong Cluster; we want you to take them out." the order wasn't unexpected and I had been expecting it ever since Tali uncovered the information at Zhu's Hope.

"Any idea what they're after?" I asked

"Hard to say, but expect heavy resistance, they won't give up without a fight." there was a slight pause as if the admiral was trying to make up his mind. "I know that finding Saren is still your top priority, but you've got vital experience fighting the geth so you're the logical choice to take out the enemy installations." a data stream flashed in the bottom corner of the transmission as the coordinates were wirelessly transmitted to the ship's nav-computer.

"Good luck Commander, Hackett out." the line went dead as I exited the darkened space.

"Joker plot a course to the closest coordinates on the double." the pilot barked out and an energetic response as I felt the Normandy engines roar into life.

* * *

><p>Understandably as soon as I had descended to the crew deck I was confronted with a particularly unhappy looking doctor, who didn't hesitate to usher me into the sickbay; I was exposed to the usual lecture about responsibility and self-care before being sent scuttling back to my private quarters to waste away the intervening time.<p>

"Commander." the request woke me from my boredom as I languished on the unmade bed.

"What is it Moreau?" I quietly enquired as I placed the light novel to one side.

"Crew rotation in twenty minutes Sir." the reassuring weight of my coat once more pressed down upon my shoulders as I shut my eyes.

"All hands to stations Lieutenant." I firmly instructed as I put on a well-worn set of sunglasses, moments later a wailing siren echoed throughout the vessel as the ships contingent in its entirety were called to battle stations, even as I marched towards the bridge I caught sight of frantic crew members rushing here and there as they desperately attempted to get to their allotted locations.

"Skipper what the hell happening?" I glanced back behind me to see the gunnery chief sprinting from the cargo elevator.

"You know what this signal means Williams, go to your station." the order was unyielding and on impulse the marine snapped to attention.

"Aye Commander." called the woman as I continued towards the CIC. As I thundered out onto the bridge the surrounding chatter died away as everyone turned to stare nervously in my general direction.

"Pressly, status report!" the man saluted as he came to a halt next to me.

"Green lights across the board Sir, the Normandy is ready for action on your command." I gave an approving nod as I calmly activated the onboard speakers.

"This is your Commander speaking." my gaze travelled around the silent space as I said this. "We are at battle stations and will remain as such for the near future; that is all." I removed my finger from the button. "Pressly." my second in command snapped his attention away from his data pad for a long moment.

"Sir?" I glanced at the clock in one corner of my heads up display.

"I want the crew rotated every two hours, understood?"

"Crystal Commander." replied the man as started to make a rough draft of the new shift pattern.

"Start with Joker; I want him well rested when we drop into the Gagarin system."

"Are we expecting trouble Commander?" enquired my subordinate with a raised eyebrow.

"I wouldn't bet against it." I muttered as my outline vanished back down towards the living quarters; time slowly ticked by as the infernal cargo elevator slowly made its tedious descent into the bowels of the ship; unsurprisingly as soon as the lift doors parted I was bombarded by a deluge of questions from my ground team.

"Sprits Shepard, what's going on?" franticly demanded Garrus as he came sprinting over from where he'd been strapping down the Mako.

"Hmm, what's with all the noise?" gruffly added Wrex as he finished checking his private armory.

"I brought the Normandy up to battle readiness, didn't you here the announcement." I cold replied.

"Krogans are always ready for battle." rumbled the mercenary.

"Tell me something I don't know Wrex." I flatly retorted as I began walking towards engineering.

"You might not want to go in there Commander." Williams called to me.

"Miss Zorah still angry with me chief?" I softly enquired but my mind already knew the truth.

"I would say that's an understatement sir." the marine's remark was well founded and helpful, unfortunately I didn't have the slightest intention of listening to it as I marched off towards engineering, which in hindsight was a mistake.

"What do you want?" the suited woman coldly demanded as she caught sight of me striding into her domain.

"Engineer Adams." the order cut through the reverberating atmosphere as the drive core kicked out waves of pressure.

"Sir?" replied the man in question as he turned to look at me questioningly.

"Bring the stealth systems up to standby; I want them fully operational when the Normandy drops out of FTL."

"Roger that Commander, all systems are green, just give us the signal." after I heard this, my attention turned once more to the unhappy quarian standing nearby.

"We're going to assault a enemy installation in a few hours; I want your ready to go at a moment's notice so go and check your gear." there was a long pause as she was considering her options.

"Is this an order Commander?" asked Tali in an unnaturally steady tone of voice.

"Yes it is Miss Zorah." I quietly stated as I turned my back on her and walked slowly towards the bustling cargo bay. The next few hours slowly creeped by as we drew ever closer to our intended destination, the entire ship was alive with energy as everyone busied themselves for the approaching heat of battle, as always I found myself confined once more to the sick bay as the good doctor demanded that she give me a full medical evaluation before I rushed off into the oncoming storm.

"The hairline fractures in you pelvis are healing nicely, I personally wouldn't allow you to return to active duty yet, but I get the distinct feeling that I don't have much say in the matter, am I right?" I couldn't help but chuckle as she said this.

"You know me too well Doctor." I whispered as the chilled air from the AC pricked at my bearskin.

"For all the wrong reasons I might add." sternly replied the grey haired woman as she passed me a glass of water and hand full of pills.

"What are these?" I asked suspiciously as my trigger finger gingerly pushed the suspicious items around in the palm of my hand.

"Mostly pain killers, your injuries are improving but I'm still not happy with anyone going into a fire fight in your current state; unfortunately my superiors say otherwise so you're going to need these, trust me." trust the word stung at me like a needle, it wasn't something that I was particularly happy with. Too many times I'd seen people place themselves in compromising situations because they had placed their trust in the wrong people and I'd been forced to correct their mistakes, normally with lethal force, but given the seriousness of the current situation I didn't have a lot of options.

"I hope you're right doc." I muttered as I flung the capsules in my waiting mouth; they tasted terrible, liked earwax and aniseed, held together with aftershave. "God I think krogan ryncol actually tastes better then these pills." Chakwas grinned at that statement.

"Then think of it as an incentive to keep out of trouble, otherwise I'll be feeding you these like they're sweets on Halloween, do I make myself clear Commander?" stated the specialist as I redressed myself in front of her.

"No promises Doctor." my quiet response was interrupted by the unmistakable tone of the ships helmsman as his voice echoed out of a nearby speaker.

"ETA ten minutes to edge of system, all hands brace for deceleration." our little world jarred stiffly to one side as the entire vessel came slamming out of FTL speed.

"Stealth systems, now!" my order reverberated throughout the Normandy as I thundered towards the elevator "To all members of the ground team, assemble in the cargo hold on the double!" even as my feet crossed the threshold of the shaft I picked up the tell-tale hum of the cloaking mechanism coming online.

"Stealth systems are engaged Commander, we're running silent." said Joker as he feed me the current situation report.

"Head toward the third planet in system, Rayingri; inform me when we're ten minutes out."

"Understood, Joker out." as the man's voice died away I turned to face the waiting crowd in front of me. "Listen up I want you all kitted up and ready to go in five." the order was carried out without a moment's hesitation, well mostly. As I began to walk away I caught sight of Tali standing there with her arms crossed in a defiant pose. "Didn't you hear my instructions Miss Zorah?" I firmly asked as I removed my sunglasses.

"I did." snapped the woman as we fixed each other with a long stare that seemed to freeze the air around us; the room went deathly quiet as everyone came to a nervous halt.

"Shepard." whispered Garrus cautiously as he took a tentative step towards us, but even this didn't seem to break the tension.

"Tali get your equipment and fall in. That's an order!" the tone of the demand was uncompromising and hard like granite; it had the desired effect as finally the defiant girl broke eye contact with me and got down to the task at hand. "Good." I muttered as I returned my sunglasses to their rightful resting place, unfortunately at that exact moment someone else desired my attention and they let it be known by coughing ever so slightly behind me. "What is it Lieutenant?" I enquired as the man glanced uncertainly at the departing quarian as he tried to find the right words for the coming conversation.

"Is it really wise to take Tali with us Commander?"

"Get to the point Alenko." I softly growled as my patience began wearing thin.

"I just think it's dangerous to allow personal tension to interfere with a mission, that's all Sir." as he said this there was the unmistakable audio alert from the pilot as we closed on the target.

"Everyone into the mako, move!" I barked as the current conversation was forgotten as my mind turned itself towards the impending task in front of me. "Williams you're driving, Miss Zorah your riding shotgun understand?" the gunnery chief let out an exciting chuckle which didn't go seen by the rest of the ground team.

"Er, Shepard can't I drive." hastily spluttered Garrus as franticly strapped himself into the shockproof accommodate.

"You're not authorized." I flatly retorted as I festooned myself into the waiting safety harness.

"Are you going to tell us what's going on Shepard or do we have to guess? Because I'm not good at guessing games" rumbled Wrex from where he sat at the back of the vehicle, I didn't even bother to respond as I punched the intercom button.

"You hearing me up there ok Williams?" I asked. The marine clicked her comm twice in affirmation. "Our objective in this cluster is a number of geth outposts spread throughout the nearby systems." As soon as I said this I could tell that Tali's entire focus was turned on me.

"Are we going to destroy these positions?" forcefully demanded the teenager as the cockpits display flickered into existence into the top right corner of the main screen.

"Until their naught but ashes and dust." I coldly replied as an unmistakable roar filled the cabin.

"Opening hanger bay doors!" the helmsman's announcement brought a cold realisation to everyone as to what was about to happen.

"Hold on tight people, gonna be a rough landing." shouted the enthusiastic driver as she began revving the engine worryingly.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." nervously whispered Doctor T'soni as she quietly closed her eyes, unknown to everyone else so did I as the lumbering APC roared out through the waiting gap and into the empty void to the planet below.

* * *

><p>The operation went off without a hitch and with three systems down everything seemed to be going ok; that was right up to the point where a geth sniper drilled a sizeable hole into the gunnery chief, drenching the woman's left thigh in crimson as the round breached her shield and armour plates. It all went to shit from then on. I was forced to split the ground team and leave one member of the squad in the mako to make sure the marine was alright; which unsurprisingly turned out to be Tali, who had been brooding ever since we'd touched down on Maji, the first planet in the Vamshi system.<p>

"Strange." muttered Garrus as he walked through the smouldering wreckage of the newest conquest. "I expected one of these outposts to be the main base of operations." I couldn't help but agree with him as I glanced around at the broken devastation, nothing I'd seen or was seeing indicated to me that we'd hit the command and control centre for the enemy occupation.

"Hold on. This receiver is picking up some kind of transmission" spluttered Doctor T'soni as she began frantically tapping away on her omni-tool "Based on the signal strength I'd say that it's coming from within the star cluster." Vakarian jumped on the announcement.

"It must be a message from the primary geth base." he looked over at me excitedly. "We can use this signal to lock onto its location and take it out." I gave an approving nod as I radioed the Normandy for pick up.

"Joker home in on this location, we've cleared out the enemy position down here, but it looks like that they have some kind of control bunker hidden away somewhere in the cluster, I'll explain in detail when we're back on board."

"Roger that Commander." he replied as I trudged back towards the APC, the drivers hatch swung backwards as Williams stuck her head out eagerly.

"How'd it go skipper?" enquired the woman as I drew level with her.

"Get back in the vehicle, what will you do if the bandage leaks?" I coldly snapped as the rear hydraulics screeched to life, signalling our return to the waiting Mako.

"Why do I get the feeling that this isn't over?" growled Wrex as he gave me a knowing look.

"Because it never is." I firmly replied as the familiar roar of the frigates engines ripped the surrounding air asunder.

* * *

><p>"This isn't up for discussion chief." my voice had a hard edge to it which didn't go unnoticed by those gathered. "The doctor wants you to stay here and I for once agree with her." this statement did not go over so well with the injured marine.<p>

"But Sir-" demanded the woman in a frustrated tone.

"That's enough!" I forcefully snapped as I turned my back on the unhappy woman. "I want you to go to the sickbay, now!"

"Yes Sir." muttered the gunnery chief quietly as she slowly limped towards the waiting elevator, it was almost painful to watch and for once even I found myself becoming uncomfortable.

"Oh for god sake, Garrus go and help her will you?" I didn't need to ask twice as the turian jumped to it without a moment's hesitation and as they disappeared from view I allowed my mind to drift off for half a moment, which turned out to be a bad decision as a sudden flash of pain raced through my head.

"Are you alright Commander?" Liara's concerned voice echoed in my ears as I desperately attempted to stay upright.

"I'm fine." I vehemently stated as little dots flew around in front of my eyes. "Let's get this over with." I pulled the hatch of the APC open with more force than was needed, which was evident in the ear bleeding screech that travelled out from the weight-bearing hinges.

"We're coming into orbit of the target moon commander, everyone better get ready." the helmsman's voice helped me turn my attention back to the task at hand and away from the throbbing pain in my head.

"You heard the pilot; mount up!" I barked as everyone quickly hustled to finish what they were doing. Vakarian clambered into the seat next to me.

"Spirits Shepard you look like hell, are you really up for this?" whispered the C-sec officer as he slammed the hatch shut next to me.

"At least I look better than you." I muttered drily as the frigates cargo bay doors slowly began dropping down.

"Can't argue with that." chuckled the turian as he calmly strapped himself into the vehicle. "But you're avoiding the question commander" I glared at him coldly before slowly revving the engine of the waiting mako.

"The mission gets first priority Vakarian" the intent of the statement was pretty clear and the man quietly dropped the topic.

"We're ready to go sir." Alenko said as he activated the crew compartments intercom.

"Good, hang on." I firmly replied as I slammed my foot down onto the accelerator.

* * *

><p>A surge of boiling plasma slammed into the desolate moonscape as the towering colossus in front us reared up once more in horrendous slow motion.<p>

"Hold on!" I ordered as I hurled the weighty vehicle towards the lumbering guardian.

"Shepard, what are you doing?" Garrus's voice echoed in my ear as a churning hailstorm of rounds tore into our defences. "Shepard?" the turians tone was higher, more nervous as we barrelled ever closer towards the intended target. "Stop!" but the vocal concern came too late as the world was shaken to its foundations as the front of the mako buried itself into the chest cavity of the monstrous automation.

"What the hell is going on?" Roared Wrex as everyone hastily evacuated from the ruined means of transportation.

"The Commander deliberately rammed the last colossus." grumbled Vakarian as he wiped the dust from the front of his helmet, understandably the well-aged krogan found this all rather entertaining as his rumbling chuckle clearly indicated.

"Never a dull moment with you Shepard." happily stated the grizzled mercenary as he glanced around at the surrounding landscape.

"If you enjoy this kind of thing." muttered Tali as she got to work overriding the bunkers security features.

"Did you say something Miss Zorah?" I coldly enquired as my internal heads up display flashed a warning as our core temperature on the natural satellite began to drop sharply.

"No Commander." firmly retorted the woman as she punched in the last few sections of code; moments later there came a high pitched hiss as the airtight seals on the entrance hatch pulled back to reveal a well-lit interior.

"I'll take point, Liara, Kaidan you watch our six; everyone else stay alert!" the order was carried out almost instantaneously as we slowly made our way into the enemy installation.

"I don't like this." whispered Garrus as he cautiously swiped the surrounding area with his sniper rifle. "It's too quiet." the turian had a point, the only sound that permeated throughout the structure was the low hum of server blocks turning over, I would never admit it but on this occasion I felt on edge as we slowly inched our way deeper into the imposing command building; it didn't take long to figure out why as a multitude of small arms fire began hammering down all around us.

"Move!" I barked as my sidearm blazed into life, sending a white coloured shock trooper hurtling backwards in broken pieces.

"Incoming!" Bellowed Wrex as a ball of blazing plasma ripped through the surrounding cover.

"Geth juggernaut on our left!" Yelled Tali as she unloaded on the approaching opponent with her shotgun. It didn't even slow it down as the thundering gargantuan slammed hard into the crumbling equipment box that the teenager was crouched behind.

"Tali!" frantically shouted T'soni as she unleashed an uncontrollable wave of biotic energy that lifted the doomed assailant off its feet mere moments before it was about to demolish the front of the quarians face plate.

"I've got it!" loudly stated Alenko as he turned his pistol on the stricken figure, but even as the marine did this than an unmistakable silhouette fell across him.

"Drop!" I snapped as a geth hopper came zipping in above us; there was no hesitation from the man as he threw himself face first onto the ground, mere seconds before a laser launched through the air and exploded where Alenko had been mere moments before. "Piss off!" my voice was hard and unyielding, as was the round that drilled its way clean through the construct's skull in a shower a cloudy white liquid and bits of metal.

"Nice shot Commander." chuckled Vakarian as he calmly decapitated an unfortunate opponent with a well-placed shot from his sniper rifle.

"Not the time Garrus." I snapped forcefully as I plunged a combat blade into the ribcage of an attacker, who just happened to get too close.

"Negative contacts commander." Muttered Wrex as he slowly stepped out from behind cover.

"Nothing on radar Sir." added the Lieutenant as he quickly scrambled to his feet, but something wasn't right, an almost unexplainable atmosphere hung over the entire endeavour and as we walked slowly around a massive support pillar I saw the reason why; squatting in the centre of the room was massive array of holographic projectors, that were flickering in the failing light.

"Keelah." whispered Tali as she stepped in next to me as everything came to a grinding halt, an eerie tone echoed throughout the room as a ghostly figure stood before the speechless audience as she sang a soul rendering epitaph of love and life lost, but as soon as it had started it was gone as the tentative transmission vanished back into the black void from where it came. "Please tell me someone recorded that." softly whispered the girl as she stared off into the empty space that had once housed the female phantom.

"I've got it." I calmly replied as I silently indicated for everyone to spread out and search the facility; but even as this happened mentally I was sending commands to my internal black box to section off and seal the last five minutes of memory.

"Commander you should really have a look at this." the C-sec officers' voice cut through the cold air.

"I'm on my way." I snapped as the quarian quickly fell in behind me as we hastily relocated to the turian's location, as the metallic door pulled back it revealed an all-important sight, wall upon wall of the data banks stacked one upon the other.

"Looks like we've found their control hub." stated Garrus as he started to examine a control panel set into the centre of the structure.

"Leave it!" I snapped as I glanced around at the towering mass of hardware that surrounded us. "No one is to touch this besides me, understand?" my tone was uncompromising and the alien quickly got the point.

"Sure Commander, whatever you say." spluttered Vakarian as he took a step away from the geth terminal, I didn't hesitate to take his place by the glowing consol, moments later my neural interface began to work its magic as the wireless signal forced its way into the nooks and crannies of the machine; to give it it's due the inbuilt fire wall put up one hell of a fight but like anything else in life pressure and patience won out.

"I'm in" I calmly stated as massive amounts of dater began downloading into the dark crevasses of my internal hard drive; fleet plans, unit structure, tech analysis, there was enough here to completely change our understanding of the geth forever, if that is I made it back to the Normandy in one piece.

"Find anything interesting Commander?" the mercenary's voice trundled out of my earpiece in a loud and heated tone.

"None of your business Wrex, just set the damn explosives." almost as soon as I'd said this there came an almost silent ping as my neural software informed me of the completed extraction. "Alright we got what we came for." I activated my comm once more.

"Wrex, Alenko I want those demolition charges set to go in five minutes." the line echoed to the sound of their replies as we headed towards the rooms exit, at the time Tali was walking next to me as the three of us quickly entered into the main chamber; at that moment everything slowed to a sluggish crawl as colour drained out of the world, my mind roared out in alarm as out of the corner of my vision I caught sight of a badly damaged geth trooper aiming a rocket launcher at the unaware teenager; without thinking I dragged the shocked girl past me as I placed myself in between her and the thundering missile that tore down the field towards us, in a final, desperate gamble to protect the young quarian I slammed my left fist into the nose of the rocket as it hurtled into range. The next few seconds were nothing but a blur as my shields absorbed as much as they could before collapsing and I was flung ass over elbows until I came back down to earth in a shower of black fluid and broken bits.

"Shepard!" the frantic voice was distinctive but distant as I started to slip in and out of consciousness, well that was until I unwisely attempted to place some weight on my left arm; what happened next was agonising but not unexpected as an almost unimaginable pain came surging out of the darkness.

"Aaarrh!" the baleful raw reverberated off everything as reality kicked its way back into my mind, moments later I found myself being crudely dragged back through a waiting doorway as someone desperately attempted to get me to safety.

"Hold on Commander, just hold on!" nervously shouted Vakarian as his ugly face suddenly appeared in front of me, well one side of his face anyway because at that moment I felt an unnerving feeling creeping down my spinal cord.

"Garrus." the officer's head snapped around.

"Oh thank the spirits." whispered the turian as he knelt on my side. "I thought you were dead."

"I can't see." it was the only time on this mission that I ever truly saw the man's professional demeanour falter. "I can't see out of my left eye." The turian suddenly let out a sigh of relief as I said this.

"You've got mechanical lubricant all over your face, I wouldn't be surprised if some got in your eyes, just hang on, we'll get you cleaned up in no time." his tone was attempting to be calm but under the surface there was noticeable tension; which was understandable as I slowly turned to glance down at what was left of my broken arm or what wasn't truth be told, because everything from just above the elbow was gone leaving only a broken and bleeding eight inch stump, that hung limply at my side.

"What happened to Tali?" I muttered from between clenched teeth as soul shattering pain began forcing its way to the fore. "Is she..?" the question trailed off as a host of unpleasant images suddenly carved their way to the front of my imagination.

"She's fine, you saved her." as soon as I heard those words the pain was thrust to one side as an almost blissful feeling of relief rose up from somewhere deep inside; for those few brief seconds nothing else mattered, as long as she was safe.

"How is he?" frantically shouted the woman in question as she barrelled through the nearby entrance, smoking shotgun in hand.

"Still breathing." I replied as my face slowly tilted to one side so as to attempt to hide some of the damage from view. "Unfortunately." the comment received a withering scowl, or something resembling it, from the suited teenager as she hastily rushed over towards us.

"Don't you dare talk like that!" snapped Tali angrily as she gingerly turned my face around so that I was facing her. "Don't you dare." the last remark almost overflowed with emotion as she stared into my blackened features, but as soon as the moment appeared it was gone and our turian associate quietly placed a taloned hand on her shoulder, in answer to the quarian's questioning glance he looked down at my ruined appendage in silence.

"Oh keelah." tearfully whispered the girl as she stared at the bleeding stump, which by this point had soaked the lower left side of her body in a thick coating of robotic fluid.

"It's not that..." but I was brought to a grinding halt as a wave of gut wrenching agony.

"Commander?" nervously enquired the woman as she snapped her attention back to me. "What's wrong?" she stammered as I leant forward in obvious pain.

"It's nothing" I muttered as an all too familiar taste filled up the inside of my mouth, but the lie would not hold, for even as I'd said this I felt a warm sensation slowly making its way down the front of my face. "What is it?" I softly asked as the silent teenage shakily wiped a hand across my chin, as she drew it back the answer was obvious to all as the grey material was slippery with bright crimson. "Ah!"

"We need to get you back to the Normandy." stated Tali forcefully as she placed a finger on the side of her helmet. "Lieutenant we need to go!" snapped the teenager as Garrus attempted to help me to my feet, it did not turn out well as we had hope as that unmistakable pain returned with a vengeance.

"Aaarrh!" my scream reverberated throughout the room, shaking everyone to their cores.

Damn it all!" I spat the matted mess of blood from my mouth before continuing. "Put me back down!" the world started to blur once more as they lowered me back down to earth.

"I don't think we're going to be able to move him without better equipment." firmly stated Vakarian as he knelt next to me. "What are we going to do?" I knew the answer but for some obvious reasons they weren't going to like it.

"Remove the rest of my arm." understandably the pair didn't particularly like what they were hearing.

"You can't be serious!" spluttered the turian as he took a step back in disbelief.

"We can't do that!" frantically pleaded the young quarian as she hastily returned to my side.

"You don't have a choice!" I growled from between clenched teeth as another wave of pain roared through me. "The reason I'm suffering is because the broken limb is shorting out and overwhelming my nerve receptors." this was harshly demonstrated by a sudden grimace of pain that made itself apparent to everyone watching.

"The only way to get me back to the Normandy is to remove the source of the problem" as soon as I said this I could tell that the pair where having some serious concerns with carrying out the order. "God just do it!" I roared as I started to be overwhelmed by the effort, the sudden shock seemed to knock the duo back into reality.

"Alright, alright, but how are we going to do this?" asked Garrus uneasily as he glanced over at his associate.

"We should try to remove the prosthetic without cutting it." muttered the teenager, more to herself than to anyone else, as she reached out towards my ruined limb.

"Don't" I snapped coldly as I firmly stopped the probing hand mere centimetres away from its intended target.

"But I..." but Tali's response was cut short as I silently interrupted her with a sad shaking of my head.

"It's no good, the socket joints been warped, I'm sure of it." I muttered as blood started once more to trickle from a corner of my mouth. "Trust me." I could see that the decision was weighing heavily upon her mind so I allowed just for once for a sad smile to play across my face. "It'll be alright, I promise." she looked into my eyes as I said this and for some reason I couldn't help but mentally promise myself never to lie to her ever again.

"You swear?" she firmly demanded.

"I swear." I quietly replied; this appeared to be the tipping point for the teenager as an air of professionalism suddenly seemed to surround her.

"Garrus I'm going to remove the Commanders coat and flak jacket, help me." the turian nodded as the pair gingerly cut me out of the sodden clothing that hindered their investigation, which on hindsight might have been a good thing as they soon discovered.

"Keelah." softly whispered Tali as she gingerly looked at the unpleasant site in front of her.

"How bad is it?" I quietly enquired, being unable to see the shoulder joint with my limited vision.

"Bad." grimly muttered Garrus as he turned his face away. "It's a real mess."

"Enough!" snapped the woman as she began to gingerly prise away damaged sections of casing, unfortunately my agonising roar quickly put a pin in that idea.

"Sprits will you stop doing that!" Muttered the C-sec officer as he relayed what was happening to the rest of the ground team.

"Not really an option Vakarian!" I heatedly retorted as the teenage quarian hovered hesitantly, not sure what to do, this understandably made me rather angry. "Do you have a plasma cutter?" I coldly stated.

"My omni-tool can flash forge one with enough omni gel." replied the girl uneasily.

"Can you us it?" the remark was slightly insulting when delivered towards someone like my engineer, but it was meant to be.

"Of course!" loudly remarked the woman as her personal pride took hold.

"Then get to it." it wasn't a request and Tali knew it.

"Ok, just give me a moment" answered the reluctant individual as she began fiddling around with the holographic display.

"Vakarian, come here." the waiting turian quickly reappeared at my side.

"What is it Commander?" quietly asked the alien as he knelt next to me.

"You're going to have to restrain me, so that Tali can do her job." as soon as I said this, the pair nervously exchanged glances.

"Will you be in pain when we're doing this Shepard?" softly enquired the young woman as she stared at me sadly.

"Yes, yes I will." I quietly replied. "But you can do this, I know you can" my head fell back against the bulkhead as I said this, taking one, last deep breath I silently bid farewell to the world as my eyelids came down and the only thing that could be heard was the tell-tale sound of the girl's thundering heartbeat echoing in my ears.

"Here we go." the quarian's voice was pensive, unsure, but at the same time there was that undeniable spark of determination that was noticed the first time we'd met all those weeks ago; but that memory was torn asunder as an agonising, white hot pain suddenly erupted from my chard stump.

"Aaarrh!" my eyes snapped open as reality demanded an audience, in hindsight it probably wasn't the smartest decision, which was made painfully apparent to me as smouldering black fluid splattered violently all across one side of my face.

"Hold him Garrus!" Tali's voice echoed all around me as the muscular alien pinned me against the waiting wall, without pausing for breath the C-sec officer instantly followed this up by slamming a knee cap down on my remaining hand.

"Hold still Commander, just hold still, it'll be over soon." the turian stated as a blazing shower of sparks suddenly erupted as the last warped sections of casing came away, unfortunately I couldn't really seem to comprehend this as at that exact moment the cutter edge bit deep into the exposed socket joint; pain the likes of which I'd only experienced on Akuze surged through me like a spring tide, overcoming all that opposed it.

"Christ!" I snarled from between gore drenched teeth as blood flowed freely from my nose and mouth, turning the lower half of my face into a sickening sight. "Do it, just do it!" I could almost feel the burning kiss of the flame as it steadily worked its way through the fused lump of metal; the world started to fade as my mind started to buckle under the strenuous effort imposed upon it.

"Hey!" Vakarian's gloved hand slapped hard across the side of my head "Stay awake!"

"I heard you the first time." I whispered as out of the edge of my hearing there came a substantial thud as something solid (and all too familiar) slammed into the floor next to me.

"Shepard, Shepard can you hear me?" my eyes fluttered open once more to be rewarded with the site of Tali gazing nervously into to them "Are you alright?" I let out a muffled groan in response.

"Praise be to the spirits of mercy." muttered Garrus as he quickly began barking out instructions to the frigate.

"What's their ETA?" snapped the woman heatedly as there came a sudden rush of cold air as she emptied an entire canister of sealant foam into the now empty hole where my arm had once been.

"Ten minutes and counting; we need to get him topside!" retorted the turian as he sprinted over towards me. "Commander I going to lift you, put your hand around my neck." I gave him a weakened glare as I heard this.

"The hell you will!" I growled coldly as I attempted to drag myself upright, it did not turn out well; fortunately for everyone Tali was on the ball and she wrapped both arms around my chest just as I began to fall forwards once more.

"Just shut up and let us help you, you jackass." firmly demanded the girl as she pulled my remaining arm down over her head. "Hold on tight." ordered the quarian as she helped slowly out of the confined space, in an instant I found myself being flanked by the remainder of my ground team as they took up defensive positions around me.

"We're nearly at the exit Shepard, keep it up." rumbled Wrex as he scanned the path in front of us for unseen threats; the minutes seemed to drag by before I found myself being carefully sealed with an environmental suit and ushered into the waiting rear end of a newly freed mako.

"Let's go!" barked the teenager as she hammered on the driver's bulkhead with a clenched fist, there was an affirmative roar from the engine as we tour off towards the extraction point.

"Tali" the young engineer glanced over.

"Yes Shepard?"

"You did good." I whispered as the darkness reached out to claim me for its own, as I slowly slipped into unconsciousness the last thing that danced before my eyes was Tali hurtling towards me.

* * *

><p><em><strong>To all my readers I apologise for the long wait, both myself and my proof-reader had problems with this chapter.<strong>_

_**Hope you like the chapter.**_

_**Gods-own**_


	17. Chapter 17: Forgiveness never changes

**Here is the next chapter folks, sorry about the length of time between chapter my proofreader is working a fast as he can.**

**please leave comments or reviews.**

**Sincerely Gods-own.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17: Forgiveness never changes<strong>

I awoke in a twilight plain, a warped reality of faded trees and shadowy figures.

"_Not yet." _chuckled the unseen speaker "_Not yet Toddy!"_ it slipped a hidden hand around my throat _"Wake up, wake up and embrace your fate!"_

"Wake up!" the bottom dropped out of the world as I was forcefully dragged coughing and spluttering back into the cruel light of day.

"I'm up!" I hastily spluttered as I bolted upright "I'm up!" understandably this sudden revival scared the living daylights out of the unfortunate soul who was crying quietly next to me.

"Doctor, Doctor Chakwas!" frantically shout a familiar female voice as I crumpled back down onto the sick bed as my body remembered what was going on in a wave of pain.

"Commander, Commander Shepard, can you hear me?" firmly enquired the grey haired practitioner as her face homed in to view above me.

"Not so loud Doc." I muttered weakly as I attempted to shield my vision from the blinding ceiling lamps. "I got a throbbing headache" a frustrated smile spread across the woman's face as she heard this.

"Nice to see you awake, how do you feel?"

"Like I've had a bottle of Scotch and then been mugged by an angry krogen" I let my head fall back against a stiff pillow as I continued talking, ignoring the doctors attempt to hide her chuckle "And this is the hangover that followed." my body suddenly went stiff as a wave of nauseating agony made itself known.

"Maybe that will dissuade you from punching missiles in the future?" Chakwas raised an eyebrow in silent show of chiding humour.

"Definitely going to think it through more carefully." I quietly whispered as the experienced doctor calmly injected me with a hefty dose of painkillers.

"Good, now get some rest. The Normandy is en route to Arcturus station, we'll be there in a few days." my voice sharply cut across the enforced stillness.

"Take me to the Citadel. Now." understandably this order did not go down so well with the experienced physician.

"I can't agree with that Commander, you're in critical condition, we need to get you to a medical facility as quickly as possible." the doctor began tapping away on her omni-tool as she spoke. "Heading towards the Citadel will add a whole two days to the journey, I can't permit that." snapped the woman in a forceful tone, but I wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"I wasn't asking doctor, I was ordering you." I coldly growled as I attempted to drag myself from the sick bed, this obviously was a massive mistake as the hastening floor and tunnel vision clearly indicated.

"Damn it." angrily muttered Chakwas as she helped me to my feet. "Now why did you have to do something stupid like that?"

"Force of habit. I love passing out and hitting the floor." but my comeback was cut short as I sight of my reflection in a nearby window pane. "How bad are my injuries?" the gray haired figure glanced over at our ghostly shadows for half a moment.

"You can't see out of your left eye can you?" softly replied the specialist as she looked at me out of the corner her vision.

"No I can't." my voice was unusually hollow as I was helped back into bed.

"Scans show there's no damage to the organic eye itself Shepard." explained the doctor as she shone a blindingly bright light in my face "I think the damage lies with your visual optics, either in the artificial lens or in the control chip, I can't safely say, this isn't my area of expertise." she allowed a concerned expression to play across her face. "Which is why we need to get you to hospital as quickly as possible." but the explanation was cut short as I raised my remaining hand in obvious objection.

"I can see where you're coming from Doctor Chakwas, but as you yourself said, you're not an expert in this field of science." I flexed the metallic limb as I said this. "The people I know are." the doctor reluctantly agreed with me but I got the unmistakable feeling that she wasn't going to let me have it all my own way and I was right because mere minutes later I found myself being confined to the sick bay for the entirety of the transition, with strict instructions being enforced by the presence of various members of the ship's crew. The days dragged by with mind numbing boredom as I remained, verbally restrained within the pristinely clean room, with only the by hourly visits of my ground team to keep me partly sane and as if on cue there came a slight hiss from the metallic doors as a suited figure apprehensively stepped into the silent space.

"Morning Commander." nervously spluttered Tali as she hesitantly made her way over towards me; it became quite apparent that the teenager was under the misconception that I held her responsible for my current predicament, an idea that was summarily dispensed with as I brought the girl back to reality with a thud.

"Enough already!" my voice was hoarse, but it still had the desired effect.

"Commander?" stammered the young quarian in bemused confusion as I silently indicated for her to take a seat next to me.

"Sit down" I added firmly as I caught sight of the briefest hint of uncertainty from my reluctant visitor.

"Yes Shepard." quietly whispered the engineer as she slipped softly into the waiting steel chair.

"Let's get something straight." I coldly stated as I fixed the fidgeting teenager with an authoritative glare. "You are not responsible for anything that happened down there on Solcrum, am I clear Miss Zorah?" it wasn't up for discussion and Tali knew it.

"Completely Commander." replied the woman in a sad tone.

"And stop calling me commander; I said it was it was fine to call me by my name remember."

"Sorry Comma...I mean Shepard." spluttered the teenager as she uncertainly looked down at her suited feet; inwardly I let out a frustrated sigh as my mind desperately attempted to find a way to forcefully drag the girl out of her self-induced melancholy.

"Tali, look at me." the young quarian glanced up at my face as I carefully chose my next few sentences. "You saved my life, I discussed it with Doctor Chakwas and she agreed with me that if you hadn't removed my arm I would have probably died down there from internal bleeding." even though the quarians face was shrouded from view by her see-through visor I could tell that she was desperately attempting to hold her emotions in check.

"But you wouldn't have been placed in that situation if it wasn't for me!" frantically stated the teenager as I caught sight of the unmistakable hint of tears running down the interior of the woman's helmet.

"Tali. . ." I hesitated, not quite sure how to proceed.

"If I'd just been paying more attention to my surroundings instead of thinking about the data we recovered." my mind jumped at the unintended hint in a desperate attempt to change the flow of the conversation.

"Why were you thinking about the data?" I calmly enquired; the teenager paused in to mild surprise before answering.

"I wasn't thinking about the data as such," spluttered the embarrassed woman as she turned her face away from me. "I was just considering my pilgrimage that's all." the nature of the statement reminded me of something that my friend Cedric had told me a while back.

"Is this to do with your pilgrimage gift?" the question seemed to take the teenager totally by surprise as she blinked at me in stunned silence.

"You know about pilgrimage?" she quietly whispered as her mind seemingly tried to make sense of this.

"I have a colleague of mine who is a quarian remember?" my explanation seemed to choke the girl's memory as I saw the light bulb flick on in her head with a flash.

"Oh yes, I remember now, you said his name was Cedric'Dolan correct?" I nodded in agreement, this sudden revelation seemed to release some of the tension from the girls shoulders and a kind of relieved silence descended upon us as we sat there for several long moments.

"So I take it that you want a copy to take back to the fleet?" I asked as I adjusted the stack of pillows behind my back.

"Is that a problem?" replied Tali nervously as she returned to fiddling with our gloves.

"It might be; I'll need to talk it over with my superiors before I can give you an answer." almost automatically the girl next to me seemed to deflate as she heard this.

"But I can give you the recording of the transmission if you're interested?" the remark was like magic to the forlorn figure as she snapped her head around to steer unbelieving at me.

"Can I really have that?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Sure, why not, the alliance won't want it anyway and I see no problem giving it to someone who will put it to good use " I replied absentmindedly as my right hand dragged a well-worn checkerboard out from a stack of random items that had been lent to me.

"What is that Shepard?" enquired the intrigue quarian as she examined the black and white playing surface as I began placing the pieces in front of me.

"It's an earth game called draughts, do you want to learn how to play?" the teenager nodded in excited acceptance as she quickly dragged her seat into a better position to see the board.

* * *

><p>"We're coming into dock Commander." Joker said over the internal speakers as the roar of the ships engines began to die away.<p>

"Roger that helmsman." I quietly whispered as my booted feet carried me up towards the main airlock; it was a tortuous affair as every single step hammered home the desperate nature of this visit.

"Shepard!" almost without asking the suited teenager hastily appeared at my side.

"I'm fine." I painfully muttered from between clenched teeth as the girl helped me up the few remaining steps.

"You're not Commander" sternly snapped Doctor Chakwas as she came thundering up access way behind me. "Tali'Zorah, will you help me to escort this gentleman off the vessel?" the young woman didn't need asking twice as she slipped my remaining arm around her shoulder.

"I can't look weak in front of the crew doctor, it might undermine my authority." I forcefully demanded as I weakly attempted to extract myself from the girl's surprisingly strong grip.

"Personally I couldn't care less right now what the crew thinks of you Commander, my only concern is seeing you well again" sharply retorted the grey haired specialist as she calmly pressed the control panel next to the door; no soon had I stepped out onto the command deck than the entire atmosphere changed, the focused, energetic energy that flowed throughout the space died away as the alliance personnel on duty came to a surprised halt as everyone watched my slow advance up the length of the CIC and not for the first time I was glad to be wearing my sunglasses as it allowed me to retain some form of control.

"Executive Officer Pressly!" my voice echoed all around as the naval officer in question smartly snapped to attention in front of me.

"Sir!" I glanced coldly at a few figures faces before answering.

"You're in charge until I return." with the help of my unwanted assistant I started off once more towards the exit, the second-in-command in tow.

"What about shore leave Commander, do you want me to take care of that?" the question brought me to stumbling halt just behind the Flight Lieutenant's chair.

"No, they've earned some rest." I caught sight of the pilot giving me a mocking expression as he heard the comment. "Is something funny officer Moreau?" I coldly enquired as I turned my head around to glare at the man as he looked away hastily.

"No sir, nothing at all." sarcastically stated the helmsman as he quickly got back to the task at hand.

"Do you want leave Moreau, because I'm tempted to revoke it, for everyone!" Snapped Pressly as he entered the conversation.

"Shutting up sir." muttered the helmsman.

"Good." firmly replied my executive officer as he turned to look at me. "I'll give the crew forty eight hours leave Commander, on a rotation in case you need us." I nodded silently in agreement before making my way into the waiting airlock; it was only after the doors pulled shut with a solid thud I allowed myself to crumple forward into the shocked arms of my female subordinates.

"Now look where all your bravado has got you!" chided the grey haired woman in a frustrated tone.

"Duly noted." I weakly muttered as the disinterested decontamination cycle casually carried on with at a soul shatteringly slow pace; nearly a minute later the main access hatch on the side of the ship cracked open as we slowly made our way out onto the cold, hard floor of the docking platform.

"I've called us a sky cab, it will be here shortly." calmly explained the good doctor as she scanned the surrounding air space for signs of the vehicle in question.

"Thank you ma'am, but I'll go one alone if you don't mind." she did mind, very much and as the verbal tongue lashing began I mentally made a note not to get on her bad side, not if I wanted to avoid having a headache at any rate. "Alright, alright!" I throw up a hand, half pleading, half surrendering as my mind dragged out a white flag. "I'll take Miss Zorah with me, will that do?" this seemed to placate Chakwas, who sternly gazed at the young woman that stood next to me.

"Keep an eye on him and for god's sake don't do anything stupid." snapped the expert forcefully as the tell-tale sound of a hover car came within earshot.

"I won't doctor, you have my word." replied the teenager as the red sky car pulled up alongside us. "I won't leave the Commander's side." her voice was almost overflowing with self-determination as she said this.

"Glad to hear it." cheerfully replied the specialist as she helped me into the waiting passenger seat. "I'll see you both in a couple of days." I remained silent as the female quarian clambered into the driving seat, moments later both gull wing doors were dragged back down into place.

"I take it that you don't have a driving licence." my remark seemed to hit home as I caught sight of the girl jump ever so slightly as she heard it.

"There wasn't much call for it back on the flotilla." whispered Tali as she nervously looked at the steering wheel in front of her. "But I'll manage somehow Commander." I let out a frustrated shy before intervening.

"Don't be an idiot." I muttered as my right hand punched in the address for the Synthetic Insights building on the Citadel into the driver aids built in screen. "Press that large button in front of you." the girl dutifully carried out the order and without pausing for breath the motionless vehicle rose off the ground with a quiet hum before sharply accelerating towards the intended destination; the artificial landscape flew by as we hurtled ever onwards through the sky, every so often I got the distinct feeling that my young associate was watching me out of the corner of her vision, but I let it slide as the on board navigation alerted us to the current distance from target.

"We're about ten to fifteen minutes out from the complex Shepard." the woman nervously stated as she caught sight of me bent over in pain. "Just keep it together." I didn't bother to credit that remark with a response.

* * *

><p>"How can I..." the asari receptionist's cheerful greeting was cut short as she caught sight of me being gingerly helped over the threshold."Oh goddess." spluttered the woman as she desperately slammed a hand onto the emergency loudspeakers. "I need an emergency medical team at the front entrance, now!" as soon as she said this alarms started ringing throughout the building as I was helped to the waiting elevator by the shocked employee.<p>

"I'm going down to the main R&D floor, get her clearance." I quietly ordered as the young tech expert stepped into the narrow lift behind me.

"Right away agent Andrew, I'll contact Mr Aquila as soon as I'm done here." the panelled door closed shut as she said this.

"That wasn't particularly nice Shepard." whispered the teenager quietly as we descended into the heart of the installation. "She was just trying to help." I held a hand to silence her.

"Don't tell me how to my job Tali." I cold replied as we came to a halt on the third sub-level, but almost instantaneously I found myself regretting that remark and before we left the cramped compartment I turned to look at the uneasy individual.

"Sorry Tali I..." my comment was interrupted by a sudden exhaling of compressed air as the reinforced doors pulled back to allow an extremely unhappy looking quarian came storming out towards me.

"What the hell Todd!" snapped Cedric'Dolan angrily as he helped carry me through the waiting portal and into the pristinely clean lab environment. "I leave you alone for what feels like five minutes and you come back looking like this!" the researcher dragged the ruined coat from my shoulders as he forced me backwards onto a waiting examination table.

"Nice to see you to Cedric." I weakly whispered as a sudden burst of anguish surged through the front half of my brain, this understandably caught my colleague's attention as he abruptly called for additional assistance from the other floors.

"Toddy what's wrong?" firmly demanded the scientist as my world started to blur at the edges or what was left of them.

"I..." but the pain suddenly intensified, robbing me of the ability to speak.

"I think he's damaged his control chip and overloaded his nerve receptors." the room went quiet as we both glanced over at the fidgeting teenager next to me.

"I take it that your Miss Tali'Zorah nar Rayya correct?" courteously enquired my colleague as he walked over towards the lone girl.

"I am." spluttered the woman in mild confusion as she saw the scientist extending a hand towards her in a friendly greeting, it took the nervous woman several seconds to realise his mistake.

"My apologies, I've been around humans for more than a decade, you pick up odd habits in that time" chuckled Cedric as he once again bowed towards her ever so slightly "May the Ancestors watch over and guide you in your darkest times. Keelah se'lai." the girl hastily lowed her head in response.

"Keelah se'lai." she nervously replied.

"Well nice to see you two getting along and all, but if you don't mind" the pointed remark seemed to jolt the pair back into reality.

"Ah sorry about that." cheerfully stated the male quarian as he turn back around to glare angrily at me from where I lay on the examination table. "Now where were we Agent Andrew?" calmly enquired the scientist as he pulled a nasty looking syringe out from its plastic sleeve.

"What the hell are you going to do with that?" I loudly demanded as the man advanced upon me with the menacing instrument.

"Oh stop being such a child." snapped the figure as he slammed the instrument into my abdomen; the sudden shock of the act was quickly replaced by an uncontrollable drowsiness that seemed to wash over me.

"Jesus Cedric, what is this stuff?" I slurred as my speech took a deliberate hit from whatever was flowing through my system.

"Is your mouth dry?" steadily asked the research as I heard the tell-tale sound of a cable being pushed into a waiting USB port.

"Yes."

"Good, that's just the morphine kicking in." explained Cedric as he contacted the other end of the lead to a waiting terminal. "Tali'Zorah can you come here for a second?" the girl obeyed without hesitation.

"What can I do to help?" she asked in a determined tone as her new acquaintance began to enter a complex set of security codes.

"I need to do a rapid problem resolution on his core software and systems to find the root cause of the issues." he glanced over his shoulder at me as he said this. "I can't do that and monitor him at the same time." as the words left his mouth a trio of frantic looking company technicians came hurtling into the open space. "I want all of you to watch his readings; you come here and help me with this diagnostic." the smartly dressed researcher in question sprinted over towards him as everyone else moved into their allotted positions.

"His BPM is seventy four and holding." stated an unseen technician as Tali returned to my side.

"Look at me Shepard, everything's going to be ok, you hear me?" her tone was unwaveringly determined and for a brief moment I could have sworn that I saw Cedric giving the girl an approving nod when she wasn't look.

"Good, keep him talking, keep coherent, morphine is a particularly strong opiate so the effects of it are rather rapid." I heard all of this but my mind was behaving like jelly inside a blender, swishing from side to side.

"What do I talk about?" frantically spluttered the teenager as I started to drift in and of the waking world.

"Anything, the weather, I don't know, uses your imagination!" snapped the research as he turned his attention to the mammoth task in front of him.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" nervously asked the woman as she held up her hand in front of my face, understandably the question did not go down so well with my corporate associate, who snapped off a cutting remark.

"Seriously, how many am I holding up?" demanded the individual in disbelief as he glanced over his shoulder at the girl. "And here I thought you were supposed to be smart." the statement hit a nerve with the young quarian and for good reasons.

"Bosh'tet!" spat Tali as she turned back to face me.

"Good, get angry, get emotional, piss him off; do whatever it takes to keep him coherent." cheerfully shouted Cedric as he began hammering in commander codes into the waiting terminal.

"Shepard, Shepard, look at me damn it!" forcefully barked the girl, the order was sharply followed up by a gloved slap to the face that shook me from my delirium.

"What the hell Tali!" I angrily demanded as I raised my head to glare at her.

"Do you want to get slapped again, no, than pay attention!" she slowly pushed on the centre of my chest, as if to hold me in place and for the first time I could feel the trembling in her body.

"Hey look at me!" the girl broke from her silent self-criticism to stare at me questioningly. "You can do this; I wouldn't have brought you with me and Cedric wouldn't have asked for your help if we didn't have faith that you could manage it." the supportive statement even took me slightly by surprise and I couldn't help but chuckle ever so slightly. "You know I'm out of it if I'm trying to be pleasant, right Tali?" the question brought an emotional smile to the figure's shrouded face as she jokingly replied.

"Tell me about it Commander, when I first signed up with you I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't back at home with my father." at that moment an all too familiar tone echoed in between us.

"Well they do say that women fall for men who remind them of their father." teasingly added the head researcher.

"Shut up Cedric!" our voices answered in unison at the remark and by the way that man began laughing to himself it was exactly what he was looking for.

"Why don't you go and stuff your face with doughnuts fat ass!" I muttered in a scalding comeback.

"Doughnuts?" enquired the girl with a note of interest; the male quarian couldn't help but smile as he to look at her.

"It's a kind of human confectionery; they sell dextro-amino versions here on the citadel, I've taken quite a liking to them." explained Cedric as he waved a hand at an empty plastic box that squatted at one end of an overloaded table. "If you want I'll get Agent Andrew to take you get some when he's feeling a bit better." I inwardly groaned as I heard this but the mental embarrassment was soon replaced by that all too familiar stab of pain that suddenly materialised across the front half of my brain.

"Shepard, Shepard what's wrong?" frantically stammered the teenager as she watched my face twist into one of unmistakable agony.

"His BPM just jumped, one ten, one twenty, one thirty; it's not slowing down!" shouted an alarmed technician as he waved his omni-tool over my thrashing form.

"Give him another two milligrams of morphine, now!" barked the head research as the waking world around me started to turn grainy at the seams.

"Doctor Dolan!" the man manning the computer terminal had taken a terrified step away from the machine in question.

"Keelah, what is it now?" snapped the suited figure in a frustrated tone as he came stomping over towards the quivering individual in question. "Well?" he demanded angrily, in response the frightened employee pointed a trembling finger at the glowing displays screen.

"Something, something flashed up on the screen!" the quarian glanced over at the diagnostic software that was currently thundering along at an impressive rate.

"What are you dribbling about?" muttered Cedric coldly as he glanced back over at the wary technician. "This program is purely designed for examining computer code and algorithms, not for displaying pictures!" but from my prone position I caught sight of an almost unknown expression spread across my colleagues face, one of uncertainty.

"Dolan?" I whispered weakly as my vision began to blur due to the pain.

"It will be alright Shepard, just hold on" whispered Tali as she locked her eyes with mine, but I couldn't help but stare silently at the experienced research as he returned to the terminal.

"You were just monitoring the diagnostic correct?" the superiors enquiry was meet with a hasty nod from the person in question.

"Yes sir, I was just watching the source codes for any discrepancies when..." the man paused for a long moment before continuing "When something forced its way onto the display." Cedric turned back to the monitor as he apparently analysed this information, but he didn't seem to have time for that as a sudden high pitch screech came thundering out of the devices speakers.

"What the hell is this?" snarled the professional as he began forcibly entering commands into the now flickering screen. "I don't recognize this program language." but this undertaking was brought to a crashing halt as a ghastly depiction materialised so suddenly in front of him that the quarian almost seemed to levitate into of the floor in shock.

"Keelah, what's going on?" stammered Tali as even more disturbing images began one after the other to appear for everyone to see.

"I have no idea." even in my distorted world I couldn't help but pick up the unmistakable hint of frustration that was creeping into Cedric's tone. "I can't seem to stop the data stream; it's overloading his neural receptors and causing feedback." I watched as he glanced over at the engineer. "Is there anything, anything at all that you could tell me that could help?" the teenager started racking her brain frantically, looking for every possible piece of information that could be of use and then as if struck by a lone lightning bolt the girl's mind stumbled upon a sudden realisation.

"Could it have something to do with the prothean beacon on Eden Prime?" the question seemed to generate an unexpected buzz of interest from the surrounding technicians.

"Quiet down!" snapped the lead researcher as he glared coldly at everyone around him before continuing. "What you're about to hear is highly classified, even by council standards, I don't have to tell any of you that the price for leaking this information will be painful and permanent; am I clear?" the assembled employees hastily agreed as their superior turned back to his female associate. "You're talking about the incident six weeks ago when Andrew was exposed to an illegal download from said artefact correct?" the girl nodded as she looked down at me.

"Could that be the cause?" the scientist considered the proposition carefully before replying.

"It's rather obvious that the unknown data is from the beacon, but what I can't understand is why is it causing problems now?" Cedric brought up my last hardware assessment, the one that was done before going before the citadel council all those weeks ago. "The technicians that examined him found nothing wrong with any of his neural augments and his brainwave activity came back relatively normal, there was some slight increase in activity, but that was easily explained as the mind coming to terms with the event." the male quarian began scratching the back of his helmeted head in bemusement. "I can't find anything that could explain this" I weakly waved a hand at him to attract his attention.

"What is it Toddy, what are you trying to say?" quietly asked my friend as he lent down towards me.

"Headaches." I whispered from between clenched teeth as another wave of pain hurtled through my system.

"That's it!" spluttered Tali in shocked realisation as her brain suddenly made a connection. "I remember seeing the Commander going into the medical bay sometimes when I was coming off night shift; when I'd ask Doctor Chakwas the next day she'd just say that he was suffering from a headache." she hastily glanced over at the scientist, who was listening intently. "Could they be linked?"

"It could be, but at the same time it could just be caused by stress, we can't be certain" the teenager fell silent once more as she seemed to scrutinise her memories once more.

"But I definitely remember seeing him going into the infirmary more frequently after we'd been to the colony on Feros." at that moment a light seemed to come on in Cedric's mind as he heard this.

"Did anything strange happen down there?" he demanded in unwavering tone, I turned to look at her.

"The asari." I softly wheezed as my mind started too succumbed to the mental pressure being applied to it.

"What Commander?" desperately asked the teenager as she moved in close to me "What was that?" I groaned out loud as the girl's voice felt like a buzz saw cutting into my brain.

"The asari." I weakly repeated as I felt a third dose of painkillers being injected into my bloodstream.

"Of course!" shouted Tali as she spun on the balls of her feet to look excitedly at my colleague. "When we were down on the planet Shepard underwent; what did Liara call it again, a joining?" Even in my drowsy state I couldn't help but notice the head research glaring angrily at me as the revelations sank home.

"And why did he do something like that?" politely enquired the scientist in a voice that could freeze an inferno solid.

"She had some kind of understanding I think you'd call it, it was meant to help the Commander understand the visions he was getting, but the data from the beacon was incomplete or damaged, so it didn't work." the man slammed his hands together so suddenly that everyone jumped into the air in shock.

"That's it!" snapped the researcher as he dashed back to the flickering terminal. "His brain is trying to make sense of the data stored in his memories, but because they're incomplete it's failing partway every time and causing his neural implants to become overloaded due to the strain." an unnerving smile spread across his face as he said this.

"What are you going to do?" enquired Tali uneasily as she watched the suited figure frantically entering streams of command into the buzzing interface.

"I'm manually shutting down agent Andrew's neural implants so that the rest of his systems can recover." this announcement did not go down well with some members of the lab team.

"Sir is that wise?" muttered one of the technicians uncertainly. "Without that particular enhancement the subject will find it extremely difficult to control his other augmentations." this revelation didn't seem to have any impact upon Cedric in the slightest as he continued manually entering code into the waiting holographic keyboard.

"I have full confidence in the agent's ability to handle himself without a direct interface, after all he's had enough experience over the last decade with his prosthetics to be able to adapt to the current situation. And if not, we can just knock him out and wait for his brainwaves to quiet down" I responded to this particular comment with an unpleasant finger gesture. "Well that's nice." replied the male quarian calmly as he finished the process.

"Has it worked?" spluttered the woman nervously as she glanced down at me from where I lay on the examination table. "Are you feeling alright Commander?" she added softly, the question was harder to answer than I'd expected, probably due to no small part in the high strength opiates that were work their way throughout my system.

"It's fine." I slurred happily. "I'm not hurting anymore." understandably the cheerful nature of the response made everyone rather concerned for my well-being.

"Shepard, are you feeling alright?" I could see my giddy face in the reflection of Tali's helmet as she cradled my head in her hands.

"Like a million credits." I happily stated as coloured dots started to float across my field of vision. "So pretty." the girl started too spluttered in confusion "Hey Dolan." Cedric looked over at me in mild frustration.

"Keelah someone get him a shot of naloxone for the Ancestors sake"

"I'll do it." hastily replied the relieved teenager as she backed away from me.

"It's over there in that cabinet." explained the head researcher as he silently dismissed the waiting technicians with a wave of his hand. "Give him a double shot of two milligrams, while you're doing that I'll give him a quick body scan with my omni-tool, just to make sure that everything is back to normal." but what ever happened next was lost on me as the surrounding space suddenly went dark.

* * *

><p>"Hay Toddy, Toddy wake up!" I felt a gloved hand slap me firmly across one side of my face "I'm awake!" I spluttered awkwardly as I found myself be forcefully injected back into the waking world with a thud, literally.<p>

"That's what you get for not listening to me." steadily stated Cedric as he helped my back up off the white floor and onto my feet. "Feeling better by the way?" enquired the scientist as he began shining a light into my eyes.

"I would be if you'd stop doing that!" I coldly snapped.

"Still got a headache?" softly asked the quarian as he watched me in total silence.

"Only a minor one, nothing like what I was getting after Feros." my response was met with a knowing nodded from the research.

"You're just suffering from a mild case of dehydration, nothing to worry about." this didn't really reassure me but I let the remark slide as I slowly dragged myself off the worktop.

"What happened?" the suited individual returned to his previous task as he began to explain what I felt was going to be a lengthy conversation.

"You passed out, nothing to be alarmed about, but Miss Zorah was a bit concerned." I could've sworn that I noticed the smallest hint of a knowing smile spread across my friend's face. "It was rather sweet actually." I gave him a disapproving scowl. "Alright, alright, I get the point." chuckled the quarian as he brought up a holographic image of my battered body. "But remember it was you who said she was pretty." all of a sudden it felt like the floor had crumbled from beneath me.

"I said _what_?" I spluttered in disbelief as my mind started to fall apart at the seams.

"Well you were high as a..., what is that human word again?" I glanced up from where I sat with my head in my hands.

"A kite, the word you're looking for is as high as a kite" I muttered wearily, my current state did not go unnoticed by Cedric, who wasted no time in teasing me to the utmost.

"Oh come on man, I think it's sweet." I groaned out loud as he continued talking. "And it's definitely more healthy than those prostitutes that you take back to your apartment." I raised my remaining hand in defeat.

"Alright I get it, now just stop please." my tone took on a cold edge "Before I rip that mask off your face." the individual in question took the hint and turned back to the task at hand.

"While you were out I took the liberty to replace the control chip at the base of your skull" he pointed to a glowing spot on the ghostly image in front of me "As Miss Zorah had speculated the devices circuitry had been partly damaged by an overload of electrical current during the aforementioned incident." he turned to glare at me "In the future please don't go around punching rockets in the face, it tends to destroy my prototypes" my vision flicked momentarily to the empty arm socket as I heard these words. "You remember that it was a prototype now, don't you?" snapped the research irritably as he zoomed the image in onto the ghostly outline of my eyeball. "But we're getting side tracked." Stated the male quarian as he expanded the hologram until we could see every nook and cranny of the intended organ and it didn't look good; even for someone with as little professional expertise in this area as me I could tell that what was coming next wasn't going to be pleasant.

"How bad is it?" I quietly enquired; the man in front of me paused as if making up his mind before continuing.

"It's bad Toddy; the air pressure change from the explosion has fractured the artificial iris itself and will need to be replaced." he brought up the damaged item in question and rotated it so that I could see the faint crack that ran the length of the artificial lens.

"Will it take long?" Cedric looked over at me as I said this.

"A couple of hours, more or less." evenly replied the scientist in a knowledgeable tone "Nothing more"

"Good" I allowed myself a moment of silence before staggering to my feet.

"What do you think you're doing?" demanded the man as he watched me walking uneasily towards the exit.

"I need to some fresh air." I muttered forcefully as I punched in a twelve digit code into the wait access panel "And a drink." this remark understandably was met with much hostility from the expert as I exited the pristine space.

"At least take this!" yelled the unhappy employee as he throw a jet black eye patch my way and for once I listened, which turned out to be a good thing because moments later as the elevator doors pulled back I was confronted by Tali, who was hold a tray full of various foods in front of her.

"Shepard?" spluttered the shocked teenager in disbelief as she watched me step into the confined space.

"Tali" I steadily replied.

"But, but" I raised a hand to silence her as the doors closed shut with a thud.

"You doing ok?" my question obviously caused problems for the girl, who was not quite sure how to proceed.

"I'm fine Commander, what about you?" the use of my title was a clear indication that the woman wasn't too happy with current situation.

"I'm fine." I replied as the lift came to a gentle halt on the ground floor. "Really" this remark brought a disapproving scowl to the woman's shrouded face. "I'm just stepping out for a breath of fresh air." the explanation was quickly followed by me donning the aforementioned eyewear as the two of us step out into the bustling lobby; it was obvious that this decision was going to generate severe questioning from my teenage companion, but I once more held up a hand to indicate that we would discuss it at a later time, fortunately or rather unfortunately (as the case may have been) the on duty receptionist glanced over her blue skinned shoulder at the source of the sound.

"Sir!" the woman's voice reverberated around the enclosed space as I marched past her toward and out into the blinding artificial light; all of a sudden there was no sound, no surroundings, just this feeling, this feeling that I hadn't felt for so long, it was one of changes.

"The world feels altered somehow, doesn't it." quietly stated Tali as she came to a gentle halt next to me. "I wonder how life will seem after all of this is over and I've gone back to my life with the migrant fleet?" there was an almost unbearable air of tension that suddenly descended into the conversation.

"So what did you buy?" I enquired in a desperate attempt to change the course of your little tête-à-tête and it seemed to work as teenager's attention was back down towards the crowded tray below her.

"Er, you were out for several hours and Mr Dolan said that you'd be hungry when you finally came around; something to do with the painkillers that you were given?" as if to support her argument there came a noticeable growling from my stomach as it detected the unmistakable scent of food.

"Thanks." I muttered gratefully as I accepted the almost overflowing plate of food; I didn't mention to the young quarian that morphine didn't increase the appetite, it seemed to be cruel, after all she'd obviously gone to all the effort to gather the individual items that now dominated the platter.

"We better find somewhere to sit." spluttered the now embarrassed figure, who without pausing almost dragged me towards a nearby bench that lookout over a pair of arching citadel arms.

"Where did you get this stuff?" I asked as I lifted what looked suspiciously like an onion bhaji up towards my mouth.

"I found, what do you call it, a deli?" I nodded in agreement as I took a large bite of the spicy morsel

"On this level, it was selling all kinds on different foods; I didn't know what you'd like so I bought a number of different things." the comment was rather obvious, partly due to the fact that spring rolls jostled for position on the plate with cheese scones, partly due to the fact that said spring rolls were crammed in tight next to a pair of custard doughnuts.

"It's fine, variety is the spice of life after all." I replied calmly as I steadily pushed the confectioneries to one side for later. "Did you buy something for yourself?" almost automatically the girl pulled a number of small, airtight packets out from what I assumed was a newly purchased hip pouch.

"The store was fantastic, it had all kinds of turain food stuffs, which they were happy to vacuum pack and sterilise for me." it was obvious that the female figure was over the moon about this, but I could understand why, I could remember when Cedric had first started eating doughnuts in the sterile environment of the company's laboratories, it nearly tripled his already phenomenal work rate.

"That's good to hear." I added between mouthfuls of Peking duck rolls. "I never particularly liked Dolan eating those protein pastes in front of me anyway" the next few minutes ticked by in awaked silence as we metaphorically tipped toed towards the invisible elephant in the room. "Look about what I said back in the lab" my words were uncertainly, nervous even, not something I'd experienced since all those long, hot days ago back on earth, when I was taking my first tentative steps with girls. "I didn't mean to offend you, I wasn't coherent." But my explanation was hastily interrupted by the teenager, who frantically forced her way into the flow of the conversation with a wave of a hand.

"I know that you bosh'tet!" spluttered the quarian in embarrassment as she started fiddling with her hands with anxious tension. "Stop treating me like a child." I smiled ever so slightly as I heard these words.

"Don't be in such a hurry to grow up Tali." I looked down at my remaining hand as I said this.

"Being an adult isn't all it's cracked up to be." the atmosphere turned sour once more as the two of us found other things to occupy our attention, but eventually the female figure couldn't stop her train of thought any longer.

"What's wrong with your eye Commander?" quietly enquired the woman as she looked up into my face with concern and for some reason I couldn't bring myself to lie, not this time.

"I've damaged the sight in my left eye; I'm going to need surgery to correct it." the answer seemed to rob the life from the girls face and a split second late I picked up the unmistakable sound of distress echoing out from the figure's helmet.

"Why are you crying?" the question seemed to confuse my subordinate somewhat as I forced myself to stare patiently into her tear filled eyes.

"Because it all my fault." sobbed the teenager as my mind desperately attempted to find a way to soothe the distraught soul; it wasn't a role with which I felt particularly comfortable with.

"Tali these things happen." I replied uneasily as I caught sight of people beginning to stare at us. "No one can't predict what's going to occur on a mission, you should've realised that by now." but this didn't seem to be enough to placate the unhappy individual.

"But it was my mistake, not yours, why did you have to save me?" at that exact moment my patience finally passed the point of no return.

"And what if I hadn't?" I coldly snapped, drawing the quarian's attention away from herself.

"One thing that I can be pretty damn sure of is that we wouldn't be here having this conversation." I slowly pulled the leather glove from the gleaming prosthetic with my teeth before continuing. "I've been doing this for a long time kid, I know my limits, you don't" I allowed a serious expression to appear I said this. "And I don't want to be the one that has to bury you, am I clear?" the girl slowly nodded her head in silent understanding as I slowly rose to my feet. "Good" I offered her the matter black hand in polite assistants as the female figure moved to join me.

"Thank you Shepard." softly whispered Tali as she accepted the gesture, a pleasant smile seemingly playing across her face as she did this.

"You're welcome." I replied as we slowly walked back towards the company building, where the only thing that awaited me was darkness, pain and the kiss of the surgeon's knife.

* * *

><p>"Can you hear me lad?" the voice was firm but familiar, an authoritative tone I'd heard many a time and for some reason I couldn't help but open my eyes. "Sleep well son?" enquired the blurred figure, who at that exact moment was leaning over me.<p>

"Sir?" I spluttered in bewildered confusion as the CEO of Synthetic Insights calmly walked around the examination table, "What are you doing here?" Mr Coyle gave me a disapproving scowl as he heard this.

"I wonder?" muttered my superior as he looked down at me. "It could have been something to do with a rather alarming live feed from Mr Aquila that I received last night at two in the morning" the company president glanced over at Cedric before continuing "Or the fact that Mr Dolan here contacted me while I was en route to the citadel to ask for permission to conduct an emergency operation on a top tier level agent at this facility." the researcher deliberately avoided my accusing gaze as he quickly turned back to the task at hand.

"That could have something to do with it agent, but why don't you tell me, why am I here?" it wasn't a question.

"Yes sir" I weakly replied as I turned my still muddled mind to the task of explaining what had exactly happened down on that god forsaken moon.

* * *

><p>"God damn it Andrew, I told you to be careful!" snapped Mr Coyle in simmering frustration as I came to the end of my account. "Did you not listen?" I raised my remaining hand in silent protest.<p>

"I made a judgement call sir, it might have been the wrong one but I'll stand by my decision" the remark cut no ice with the imposing individual, but there wasn't anything he could do about it and he knew it, as did I.

"Fine, fine." muttered my employer as he sat down next to me on the table. "Just try to take better care of yourself son, alright?"

"Yes sir" I replied.

"Good" the grey haired entrepreneur patted me on my shoulder before continuing. "I don't want to make this a regular occurrence." he indicated over his shoulder at the mount of a man, who was waiting patiently in one corner of the room "And neither does Agent Alexander" the bodyguard in question gave off an air of silent agreement at the comment. "He doesn't like sudden changes to the daily schedule."

"Can you blame me Sir?" rumbled the imposing figure as he slowly relocated to his charges side.

"I'm not some baby that needs his diapers changed" calmly stated the gentleman as his personnel communicated suddenly burst into life "Ah, one moment" the figure raised his finger in a universally recognizable gesture as he walked way to quirt corner of room.

"That'll be the executive board wondering what the hell is going on." muttered the minder as he glanced over at me once more. "You really fucked up this time my boy."

"Bite me." I coldly retorted, unfortunately the seasoned veteran wasn't going to let the comment slide.

"Can it!" the man turned to glare forcefully into my eyes. "I didn't travel half way across the known galaxy to get barked at by some whelp, who don't know how to duck!" almost instinctively I felt my hackles go up as I squared off against the hardened agent.

"It wasn't that simple!" my voice was dangerously low, but the figure in front of me was unfazed as he straightened himself up to his full height.

"Watch your tone boy, the boss may let you get away with it, but I sure as shit won't." Alexander leaned in close so only the two of us heard what he said next. "I shot you once Andrew, don't make me repeat myself!" almost instinctively my mind flashed back to that day all those years ago when the corporation had raided our hideout and I'd been brought low by this unrelenting individual.

"A lot has changed since then Alex." I whispered as my right hand flexed noticeably. "Why don't we try and see?"

"Enough!" Cedric's unwavering command reverberated around the pristine lab. "You're both acting like a pair of adolescent varren, grow up!" the two of us fell silent for half a moment.

"He started it." Muttered my fellow agent as the peeved quarian turned back to the task at hand.

"Well I'm ending it!" snapped the research in a frustrated tone as he slammed his gloved hand down onto the holographic display.

"Is there a problem Mr Dolan?" firmly enquired the unmistakable voice of their employer from far away across the deserted space,

"No sir, nothing of the sort." loudly replied the individual in question as he began to make some noticeable alterations to a selection of blueprints that were displayed on the screen in front of him.

"Those don't look like normal alterations." stated Alexander as he leaned over the suited figure to get a better look at the holographic prosthetics.

"Well of course not." chided the scientist as the glowing outlines were suddenly expanded so that everyone could study them. "Given the recent activities that Andrew has been exposed to recently it would be unwise to just give him off the rack limbs, no matter how advanced they are." Cedric pulled back a layer of plating on the model to reveal the artificial muscle underneath. "So I'm making modifications to our top-of-the-line model, based on the data that was recovered from the prototype." I glanced down at my remaining prosthetic as he said this.

"Can't you just give me another one of these?" my question was not well received and for rather obvious reasons.

"No I can't Toddy, that's why their called prototypes." snapped the flustered scientist as he began adding minute changes to the primary socket points, but almost as soon as my friend has said this than he apologised in a weary tone. "Sorry, I'm just a bit worn out: it's been a long couple of days." he sat down on a nearby chair before continuing his work.

"I should be the one apologising Cedric, knowing you that arm I so carelessly destroyed probably took you months to build." I heard a derogatory snort from behind me

"More like year's." added Alexander as he pulled out a dog eared pack of cigarettes "You were wearing the future of Synthetic Insights augmentation division just so you know." it was unwanted insight and one that only added guilt to my already unwanted situation.

"That's enough." Mr Coyle's voice cut the conversation short as he strolled back into our little gathering. "I took a risk when I allowed those arms out of the lab and it only partly paid off, but as Andrew here says it could have been worse, so change the topic."

"Yes sir." the chorus of yells was almost deafening as our employer turned his attention towards the suited soul next to him. "How soon can you get a replacement pair up and running Cedric?" enquired the company president as he accepted one of the pre-rolled menthols with a grateful hand.

"A week, maybe four days at a stretch." said the quarian as he looked over at me uncertainly.

"Why?" but the man's question was brushed to one side by the grey haired gentlemen.

"I'll give you forty eight hours." retorted the CEO as he took a deep lung full of the intoxicating smog; understandably the scientist didn't take this too well and he quickly let it be known.

"Sir I must protest, it's not safe or wise to try to make something as complicated as a prototype prosthetic in that time." but the employer would not be waylaid.

"Forcefully recruit all the other researches in this building if you have to, but I need my agent up and running in two days, are we clear?" it wasn't a question.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for read this chapter, I hope you liked it.<strong>

**please leave comments or reviews.**

**Sincerely God-own.**


	18. Chapter 18: On dark tides

**Sorry for**** the long wait folks, the rewrite of the early chapter took long than expected.**

**hope you like the new chapter, big shout out to my proof reader for all their hard work. **

**let us know what you think.**

**Gods-own**

**Chapter 18: On dark tides**

The airlock pulled apart once more as the trundling troop of the hung-over individuals staggered back aboard the waiting Normandy, more the worse for wear truth be told and I for once was no exception.

"Rough night Sir?" politely enquired the executive officer as he glanced up from his private date pad, I waved a newly acquired hand in the man's general direction. "That bad huh?" chucked the figure as he caught sight of the other partygoers staggering in behind me.

"You got no idea." whispered Williams as she carefully slipped past me and headed towards the crew quarters below.

"You got that right" added Joker as he carefully dropped into the pilot's chair with a relieved sigh. "Last time I go out drinking with the Commander." my surrounding subordinates groaned in agreement as they heard this.

"You humans don't know how to enjoy yourselves." said Wrex disinterestedly as he wiped an unknown fluid from his shoulder guard.

"I wouldn't call watching my superior ripping someone's jaw off enjoyable." said Garrus irritably as he help an intoxicated Tali over the threshold. "And I was looking forward to a good night's sleep to" this particular revelation caused a number of on duty officers and crew to exchange worried expressions with one another as I pulled the darkened sunglasses off.

"Before you all start gossiping amongst yourselves like fishermen's wives, it was a prosthetic appendage not a real one." but even so the looks that were on some of my ground team's faces didn't seem to support my argument.

"Even so Commander there was still a hell of a lot of blood." muttered the turian softly.

"I didn't have a choice." I coldly retorted. "This is how arguments fight, get over it." my tone was unwavering in its certainty and understandably the questioning alien quickly backed down.

"My apologies Commander, I didn't mean to speak out of turn." stammered the young officer as I started to walk away from him, towards my empty bed.

"If you don't mean it then don't do it!" the ordered echoed back up the bustling space as I disappeared from site through a waiting doorway.

* * *

><p>The unmistakable rumble of the ships engines resonated throughout the entire vessel as we pulled out of port and into the cold vacuum of space; it was a reassuring feeling, one that helped my weary mind to re-evaluate the hectic events of the previous few hours.<p>

"_Commander, nice to see you back among the living." cheekily stated the helmsman as I calmly came walking into the nightclub, my female engineer in tow._

"_Nice to see that you're using your shore leave wisely Mister Moreau." I curtly replied as out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of multiple members of my ship's company seated throughout the establishment. "And I'm not the only one invited I see." the satirical individual gave an almost unnerving grin as he heard this._

"_You have the young lady to thank for that Commander." I glanced over at the fidgeting figure behind me, who was trying desperately not to be noticed._

"_I see." But for the moment I silently decided to let the matter slide as I quietly gestured for the girl to take a seat at the table._

"_What do you want to drink Sir?" enquired the mildly surprised individual as he watched me join them moments later. _

"_Whisky, single malt if possible, preferably human made." the pilot shook his head in mock shock as he struggled to its feet._

"_And here I thought you were going to slum it with the rest of us and drink something unnatural." chuckled the alliance officer as he carefully made his way across the open floor on his crutches._

"_Get a bottle." I added loudly, pointedly ignoring the comment. The pilot gave a disinterested wave of acknowledgement as he vanished from view._

"_Shouldn't you do that yourself Shepard, I mean he does have a medical condition after all." whispered the teenager as she gave me a disapproving look._

"_He has two legs and his crutches, let him use them." the reply was met with an unhappy expression from my female companion; fortunately for everyone circumstance decided to intervene._

"_I not interrupting something am I?" sarcastically enquired the unmistakable voice of Wrex as he dropped down onto an all too small stool, which squeaked uneasily under the strain._

"_No, in fact I was just telling Tali that we could do with some entertainment and you balancing on a bar stool should do just fine." I calmly retorted as I caught sight of gunnery chief Williams and certain turian making a bee line towards us. "Can I help the two of you?" I added as the pair came to a screeching halt next to me._

"_Are you alright Commander, we'd heard from Tali that you needed to undergo some kind of operation?" I snapped a cold glance off at my young associate as I heard this, but I was pleasantly surprised to see her giving me a subtle wink in response._

"_It's nothing serious just a bit of touch up work, that's all" the remark seemed to have an almost visible effect upon the duo as they sank down into the last remaining spaces around the table._

"_Thank the spirits." whispered Garrus._

"_You had us worried Skipper." added Williams as she allowed a relieved expression to play across her face._

"_Well everyone but me." interrupted Joker as he manhandled his way back into the conversation. "Drinks are on the way, I can't walk and carry stuff at the same time so it's probably a good thing that I gave up on my ballet career" snorted the pilot as he gingerly lowered himself back into his seat._

"_I can wait." I quietly replied as a split second later an asari wearing a cocktail dress appeared behind me._

"_Your order Sir." cheerfully stated the waitress as she glanced down at the crippled helmsman._

"_Thanks." replied the man as he accepted a fluorescent looking blue cocktail._

"_And the bottle of Glendronach?" she enquired, I raised a hand. "Here you go, can I get you anything else?" I allowed the others to order as I quietly poured myself a good measure of the rich, golden liquid._

"_Any good Shepard?" asked Tali as she removed her sterilised drinking straw from her masks induction port._

"_Yes it is" I looked down at the lavender looking fluid inside the glass. "What are you drinking if you don't mind me asking?" the girl glanced down at the drink in front of her._

"_I think it's some kind of turian brandy, I'm not totally sure, but it's one of the few things my biology will allow me to drink." this caused our off duty C-sec officer to raise a questioning eye plate._

"_Are you even old enough to drink that?" he asked, his demeanour changing to the officer he once was, understandably the comment didn't go down so well with the suited woman._

"_Yes I am, thank you very much!" came the heated reply, which cut through the friendly atmosphere like a blow torch._

"_I didn't mean anything by it" replied Vakarian as he held up both his taloned hands in a hastily attempt to placate the flustered figure in front of him._

"_Let it go Tali, he's just doing his job." I muttered as my newly replaced hand refilled the now empty whisky tumbler._

"_Sorry Commander." whispered the teenager as she dropped her gaze back to the table top._

"_There's no need to apologise." I calmly commentated as I caught Garrus' attention with a beckoning of my trigger finger "And for future reference Miss Zorah was born in twenty one sixty one, so there isn't a problem understand?" my tone was unyielding and he quickly got the hint._

"_Completely Commander." replied the alien as he took a deep swig of his chosen poison._

"_How did you find out my age?" quietly enquired the teenager as she fixed me with a piercing stare._

"_I have my sources." I replied, all the time deeply grateful for the fact that I'd hadn't taken off my sunglasses._

"_You didn't hack my omni-tool did you?" she demanded, I didn't dare look anywhere near her location as I delivered my reply._

"_I'm a professional Miss Zorah; I don't need to hack your omni-tool to find out personal information about you." it wasn't true, but it was better than admitting that I'd ignored her right to privacy._

"_If you say so Commander" I got the distinct feeling that I hadn't heard the end of this particular conversation, but what happened next completely swept the trivial concerned to one side as an all-too-familiar voice echoed out over Flux's floor towards me._

"_Well well well Toddy Shepard as I live and breathe." the arrogant drawl pulled on my memories, making me remember a time when the only thing that mattered was blood and booze._

"_What do you want Finch?" I coldly growled as the shady looking man came strolling over towards me, stinking ego in tow._

"_Can't I say hello to an old friend?" sarcastically enquired the unpleasant looking individual as he pulled up a seat at the table._

"_I don't remember us being friends, and I sure as hell don't remember inviting you to sit at my table." I replied as I caught everyone's attention. "Can you give us a moment please?" and they obeyed, well most of them anyway. "What are you doing Tali?" I muttered as I caught sight of the teenager remaining resolutely planted next to me._

"_I'm not going anywhere." came the determined reply, which didn't go unnoticed by my unwanted visitor._

"_Girls got guts Toddy." chuckled Finch as he looked her up and down "Shame she's a suit rat." I placed a hand on the girls shoulder as she attempted to jump to her feet._

"_Don't." I ordered but the teenager didn't seem to take notice as she attempted to extract herself from my grip. "Don't!" and to reinforce the point I calmly forced her back down into the waiting seat._

"_You should listen to him little lady." added the filthy looking man as he took a swig from an unattended beer bottle._

"_You don't speak to her Finch, not if you want to leave this place with your head still screwed on" the unsavoury individual took the hint._

"_Fine, we'll play it your way." coldly stated the criminal as he snapped his fingers menacingly, seconds later several threatening individuals peeled off from around the room and advanced unhindered on my position. "Since it seems that we've stopped being civil." I gave the advancing muscle a disinterested glance as I took a sip from my drink._

"_I take it that you want something?" the question brought a rotten smile to the man's face _

"_Right to the point Toddy, nice to see that all that fancy living hasn't made you go soft" he took yet another swig from his stolen beverage. "To business then." he held up a hand just as his associates pulled up behind him. "We're not trying to cause you trouble Shepard, we just want a favour, for old time sake." I gave him a disinterested snorted as I heard this._

"_I cleared all my debts with the Reds the day I got plugged by that company agent." I gave the bodyguards a quick scan as I said this; most of them were wearing augmentations of one kind or another, especially the large one in the back, his physique just screamed artificial muscle and his lower jaw had been completely replaced by a gleaming prosthetic. "Nice modes Cujo" I added as he caught my scrutinising look._

"_You too." came the rambling reply from the man mountain._

"_Can we get back on topic?" snapped Finch irritably as he glared daggers at his subordinate. "One of the reds, by the name of Curt Weisman" the name didn't ring any bells with me but I let it slide. "Got picked up by some turians, we'd like you to talk to the guard at the bar." he pointed to the all too conspicuous official looking guardsmen, who was minding his own business at one end of the counter. "And get our boy out." I emptied the last of the aged whisky into my mouth before replying._

"_Go fuck yourself." the statement brought a flash of rage to the criminal's face, but it quickly disappeared as I flipped the table over and slammed it forcefully into the shocked man. "Don't get involved!" I roared as I caught sight of several members of my crew darting towards me; the ensuring brawl quickly descended into a savage fight as the augmented assailants threw themselves into the fray, the first two were quickly dispatched with a cold, surgical precision which sent a shiver down the spine of everyone watching._

"_You really do live up to the hype." growled the towering opponent in slow tones as slammed a melon sized fist into a hastily formed block, it didn't really work as I duly noted a split second later as I found myself being sent flying backwards into the watching crowd._

"_I aim to please." my comeback draw a faint smile from the lumbering figure as he came surging across the floor towards me, unfortunately it didn't pan out the way that that the attacker had intended as my outstretched fingers forced their way into the man's gaping maw; a sudden terrified expression quickly made its way from the guard's brain to his face as he registered what was about to happen next._

"_Don't." the shaking soul pleaded as he felt my grip tighten with frightening force._

"_No." my voice whispered as in a barbaric display of violence as I brought all of my strength to bear, tearing the prosthetic from its housing in a gory cascade of blood and black liquid as the man's baleful screams filled the surrounding air._

"_Wait, I said wait!" spluttered the now trembling Finch as mere moments later he found himself being violently lifted off the floor by his collar._

"_You know something Finch, you and I never really did got on, do you remember?" the man nodded in terrified agreement as I slowly glanced around at the assembled crowd before continuing. "I never totally agreed with your xenophobic views." I allowed a soft chuckle to escape from between my lips. "Because it seems that in the end we both become the kind of monster we'd once feared." the statement had an unnerving edge to it which didn't go unnoticed by the struggling victim as he found himself being dragged bodily across the floor towards the establishment imposing glass window._

"_What, what are you doing?" franticly demanded the now nerve wracked individual as I lifted him aloft once more._

"_Someone once said to me that we can either fly or we can fall." with sickening certainty I swung the man back as if to build up momentum. "Which one will you be?" moments later there was only the sound of shattering glass and a distant thud to break the uneasy silence as I slowly walked towards the waiting faces_

"_You really know how to end a party Commander." Muttered Joker as he dragged himself from an uncomfortable barstool._

"_Yeah, I do don't I?" came my disinterested retort as I slowly retrieved the empty whisky bottle from the floor in front of me. "Shore leave is revoked, I want everyone back on board the Normandy, double time." the order was reinforced by the sudden notification that flashed across my heads up display. _

My mind dragged itself from the shadows of the past as I turned my attention back to the three word sentence that made up the entirety of the e-mail.

_Call me now! _

Without pausing for breath I slowly tapped in the desired communication frequency into the waiting holographic display.

"Connecting, hold one moment." stated an artificial voice as the virtual intelligence carried out the instructions, moments later the pale display was replaced with the unmistakable outline of my superior, who was at that exact moment apparently preoccupied by something off screen.

"You wanted to speak to me Sir?" the statement seemed to have the desired effect as it snapped the grim faced figure from his private calculations.

"Ah Andrew my lad, just the person I've been wanting to talk see." the grey haired gentleman pulled a pair of reading glasses from his weary features before continuing. "I need you to go to Noveria, something's happened." I didn't particularly like the sound of this and I let my opinion be known.

"Sir, what's going on?" the chairman ran a hand over his tired looking eyes as he looked at something or someone out of my point of view.

"We don't know." a cold chill trickled down my spine as I heard this "The synthetic insights branch office on the planet isn't responding to any communications and we can't get in contact with any of the personnel either." the job was starting to sound worse with every passing moment.

"What about the branch manager, is he reliable?" I enquired quietly as I mentally cursed my inability to access personal records due to the nature of Cedric's temporary solution to the migraines.

"Lorik Qui'in has been an outstanding employee for more than a decade." stated Mr Coyle as he indicated for someone off screen.

"I recommended him for the position myself." added Alexander as the towering bodyguard materialised behind the CEO. "He's not the type of individual to do something like this, there must be third-party interference somewhere." I openly groaned as I heard this; inter -company subterfuge was always tedious and time-consuming, two things that really didn't appeal to me given the current situation.

"Can't you send Alice or one of the B grade agents to take care of this?" I squint at the twenty four hour clock in the corner of the screen. "Not meaning to be rude Sir but this grunt work and I have more important things to do." the man nodded in agreement as he heard my argument.

"I completely agree with you Andrew, but we've been hearing worrying rumours coming out of port Hanshan and I need you to investigate, no complaining, understand?" the bosses tone was unmistakably unmoving and I quickly abandoned any attempt to argue with him.

"I'll get on it straight away sir." Mr Coyle smiled softly as he heard this.

"Good, but remember we don't have much say over what goes on down there, so try and stay out of trouble if you can, okay?" I gave an affirmative response before quickly disconnecting the call.

"Helmsman." my call echoed throughout the vessel as I activated the ship intercom.

"Not so loud Commander." groaned the unseen pilot as he responded to my communiqué.

"Like I care flight lieutenant." I coldly retorted. "Plot us a course to the Pax system in the Horse Head Nebular, on the double. I need to go to Noveria." I disconnected the comm link before I heard his reply, my bed was calling me and even before my head hit the pillow I was fast asleep in blissful peace.

* * *

><p>"<em>Tick tock Toddy, tick tock!<em>" my eyes snapped open as the darkly disturbing drawl vanished back to whence it came, only to be replaced with the ear splitting shriek of the alarm clock going off.

"Got to stop drinking whisky." I whispered as a mind braking headache clearly indicated.

"The good doctor better have some painkillers." the metal portal pulled back to reveal a bustling thoroughfare as a mixture of ground team and ship crew went about their daily duties with a vigorous energy that did not go unnoticed by the commander. "Garrus, what's with all the commotion?" the turian looked up from his hastily disappearing ration pack.

"Morning Commander, did you sleep well?" but I brushed the polite greeting a side with a wave of my hand.

"We can chitchat later Vakarian, but right now what is going on?" my tone was unyielding and duly grasped upon by the C-sec officer, who hurriedly pushed the meal to one side.

"My apologies Shepard, when Joker told us that you'd given orders to head towards the horse head nebula at full speed we sort of presumed that the ship was heading back into action." I ran a hand over my bloodshot eyes as I heard this.

"I'm going to murder that pilot." I remember muttering as I left the uneasy figure to his breakfast and headed towards the sickbay.

"Good morning Commander" stated Doctor Chakwas as she caught sight of me entering her domain. "You look well." the sarcastic nature of the comment didn't go unmissed.

"I don't need a lecture ma'am, just some aspirin will do." the ships practitioner gave me a disapproving glare, but none the less she handed over the pills without further protest, well until I'd taken the things that this.

"I don't have to remind you Commander about the risks of mixing medication and alcohol, do I?" but before she could get into full rant an alarm began echoing throughout the space going vessel.

"What the hell is going on?" I barked as a split second later there came a violent deceleration as the Normandy came hurtling out FTL speed unexpectedly, sending a multitude of people, myself included, into nearby bulkheads. "Helmsman, status report!" my angry tone was rewarded with a wall of static that poured out of the nearby speakers. "Stay here." I roared as I dashed towards the bridge, but before I'd even taken a dozen steps there came an unsettling rumble which was just as quickly accompanied by the unmistakable feeling of weightlessness as I found myself drifting towards the pristine clean ceiling.

"What's going on Commander?" spluttered a confused Garrus as he came drifting across the open space towards me.

"That's what I'm trying to find out!" I snapped coldly as the two of us scrambled towards the staircase.

"Something must have gone wrong with the artificial gravity." Muttered the unhappy turian as he pressed the door release.

"Clearly." I replied as I launched myself into the sprawling chaos in front of us; every which way we looked alliance personnel were frantically attempting to get a grasp of their surroundings as I powered through the madness towards the front of the ship. "Joker, status report!" the scruffy looking pilot glanced up from his hastily hand movements as he recognized the unhappy voice.

"I haven't got a clue Commander, one moment we were on schedule to reach Pax by tomorrow, then bang, my baby loses drive power and we come crashing back into normal space." I began spitting hot coals as I looked around at the multitude of flickering control panels.

"Can you get us up to cruising speed?" the man shook his head as he heard this.

"At the moment the best I can do is basic stabilization to stop us from drifting." I cursed once more before activating my team's personal com-links.

"Tali, Tali can you hear me?" there was a long pause before the teenager's frantic voice came hurtling out of earpiece.

"I read you Shepard." I made a bee-line for the bowls of the ship as I continued talking.

"I need a sitrep on what the hell is happening down there." I came to a shuddering halt in front of the cargo elevated just as gunnery chief Williams and Wrex came floating out of the confined space.

"You alright skipper?" enquired the marine as I forced myself past them and into the waiting list.

"Get up to the bridge on the double, use the com link to stay in touch." the pair nodded hastily as the door closed shut in front of me; the ride down as made even more unpleasant by the fact that I found myself hanging from a handrail for the entirety of the trip.

"I'm almost at your location, hold on." I stated as I came tumbling out, ready to go.

"Roger that Commander." Tali replied distractedly as I heard shouting permeating through a nearby bulkhead.

"What the hell is going on!" I roared as my weightless form came hurtling into the engineering room, unfortunately this furious demand was quickly snuffed out by the churning chaos in front of me; arching plumes of sparks came rocketing out from a myriad of broken bits and pieces that dangled from every conceivable surface. "Report!" the unmistakable outline of the chief engineer homed into view as he came shoring down from what had once been the ceiling.

"We can't draw power from the drive core, I been forced to siphon off power through a number of subsystems just to keep life-support working." he ran a hand over an oil smeared face. "But it's all I can do to keep that operational." I openly cursed, this was going to make things complicated.

"Can you get propulsion back online any time soon?" the question was quickly picked up by the sudden appearance of the quarian's head from out of a gaping hole in the floor.

"With any luck we should be able to Commander" stated the woman as I slowly dragged her out of the opening. "But we've blown out a number of junction boxes so they're going to have to be changed before anything else can be done"

"Does anybody know what the hell actually happened?" I enquired as I looked around at the total anarchy that had engulfed engineering.

"It probably had something to do with the modifications that we were installing Commander." uneasily explained Adams.

"What modifications?" I coldly crowd as the pair exchanged nervous looks.

"We were trying to extract maximum output from the drive core without overloading the fail safes."

"By diverting some of the power through secondary systems." added Tali as she began fidgeting uncontrollably in front of me.

"Well I can safely say that you've failed!" the pair noticeably flinched at my tone as I ran a metallic hand through my short cropped hair. "Get it fixed, I don't care what it takes, just get the main engines back online." I stormed back into the cargo bay in heated state. "Garrus!" the startled turian's voice echoed back over my earpiece as he picked up the vocal demand.

"What's wrong Shepard?" enquired the unseen speaker as I slammed a hand into the elevator button.

"Tell me that Joker knows where we are." there was an unnaturally long pause before I got an answer.

"We're just on the outskirts of the Horse Head Nebular"

"If we can get up to cruising speed, how long will it take us to get to Noveria?" another long pause.

"Joker says we're two days out from the Pax system even at cruising speed, sorry Commander." I swore angrily as I heard this.

"Fine, I'll be up there in a minute" the line went dead as the metal hatch slammed shut behind me; the rest of the morning went past in a frantic blur as everyone desperately attempted to get us back on track, well nearly all of us, Wrex just floated around unhappily in a corner of the cargo hold, using the lack of gravity to suspend his tools in the air as he tinkered with his weapons.

"Have you got the thrusters working yet?" I demanded the moment that Lieutenant Alenko came drifting into the abstract down cant.

"Not yet Commander, both Tali and chief engineer Adams are desperately trying to find out why, but they still can't seem to get them working" a cold atmosphere seemed to descend as he said this, which was duly shattered as my temper finally reached its braking point.

"I don't want excuses, I want results; is that clear lieutenant!" the man visibly floated back in mid-air as my verbal outburst thundered past him.

"Yes sir." responded the alliance officer as he disappeared hastily out of sight.

"You shouldn't be so hard on him, he's just doing his job." calmly stated the good doctor as she stuck her head out of her office.

"And I'm just doing mine." I coldly retorted.

"True, but there is nothing any of us can do about it, so please try and relax Shepard." I didn't bother to reply to the statement as I made my way up towards the command deck.

"Pressly, status report." I barked as my form drifted onto the bridge, the man in question glanced up from his a flickering display as he caught sight of me coming towards him.

"All secondary systems are online and most of the primary ones as well; unfortunately we've seemed to have damaged the fuel lines to the main engines, which is causing the delays."

"Keep me posted." I muttered as I passed by on my way towards the cockpit.

"Have they got my baby working again Commander?" eagerly enquired the helmsman's as he spun his chair around to face me.

"What do you think?" was my reply as I strapped myself down into co-pilot seat.

"I'll take that as a "no" then." muttered Joker as he turned his attention back towards the flickering monitors in front of him.

"Good guess." but as ever fate had a decided to play a surprise hand as moments later my personal communicator hummed into life.

"Shepard can you hear me?"

"Yes, how's it going down there?" the teenagers skipped into a cheerful note as she heard the question.

"Why don't you find out for yourself." I glanced over at the pilot, who raised an eyebrow in response. "Punch it." as soon as the words thundered from my mouth a blazing energy seemed to descend upon the frail figure as he slammed his chair back around face the flight controls.

"Everyone better hold on to something." Joker yelled as his hands blurred across the holographic interface; our little world suddenly surged violently back into reality as the main engines snarled awake with a vengeance; unfortunately for everyone else this was also the moment that the artificial gravity kicked in once more, sending a large percentage of the ships company slamming into deck just as the drive kicked in.

"That's more like it Commander." happily crowed Joker as he made minute course corrections every few seconds.

"Indeed." I even allowed a wry smile to spread across my face as I turned my attention back towards the unseen speaker in my ear. "Nice work Tali, can you come up to the bridge, I want to have a word with you." there was a slight pause before the young quarian spoke again.

"I'll be right up" for half a second I could've sworn that I'd heard the slightest hint of tension in the girl's confident tone, but as soon as it had arrived it was gone once more.

"Good" the next few minutes dragged by as the crew buzzed about getting everything back into some kind of organised state, which was duly interrupted by the unmistakable outline of my ground team engineer as she came striding into the bustling space.

"You wanted to speak to me Commander?" enquired the uncertain woman as I indicated for her to follow me.

"I just want a moment of your time Miss Zorah." I stated in a rather formal tone as the two of us strolled into the relative quiet of the conference room.

"Have I done something wrong?" added the teenager nervously.

"Quite the opposite." the statement seemed to take the girl completely by surprise as if she'd hadn't been expecting it. "Hold out your omni-tool." the request was dutifully obeyed, if with some uncertainty as I fixed my line of sight on the holographic interface.

"Shepard?" I didn't bother to look up from my task as I delivered my reply.

"Don't be alarmed, I'm just forming a wireless link with your personal computer." my internal heads up display flashed a confirmation as the connection was established. "I'm sending you a data package, open it." a mildly confused quarian glanced down at the blinking alert before silently tapping the required button, the sudden, sharp intake of breath clearly indicated that its contents had arrived intact.

"I can't accept this." spluttered Tali as she snapped her face away from the startling revelation in front of her. "I won't accept this." I raised an eyebrow in mild disbelief, a grin tugging at my lips.

"Why not?" the girl twirled the ghostly payslip around until it was facing me, the six figure sum slowly glowing in the air.

"Because it's two hundred thousand credits you bosh'tet!" I gave a disinterested shrug of my shoulders as I began walking to and fro within the quiet space.

"You've earned it, payment for services rendered, like any other transaction." but I could tell that this wasn't going to cut any mustard with the unhappy individual in front of me and with good reason.

"I didn't do all of this for money Commander." snarled the engineer angrily as she took a step towards me. "I did my duty, my duty to the crew, my duty to the Normandy, my duty to you." the last part of the statement hung there, in the air for a long moment as I turned to look at the trembling figure in front of me.

"I know" I pulled a small OSD from a coat pocket. "Catch." the teenager had barely enough time to react as the small projectile tumbled through the air towards her.

"What is it?" coldly demanded the quarian as she slipped the dater store into an empty socket port.

"A gift, as was the last one, use it how you will" I inaudibly whispered as I allowed myself to drop effortlessly into an empty chair; the next few moments past in total silence as the female engineer stared motionless at the surging wave of date that played out across her omni-tool's display.

"You're giving me this?" whispered Tali in quiet disbelief as I dragged a gloved hand over my tired eyes.

"I was under the assumption that you wanted this, as I recall." the engineer was quick to support the declaration

"I do Commander, but is this really alright, you won't get into trouble with your superiors will you?" I brushed the remark away with a wave of my prosthetic.

"Everything has been taken care of, you have my word." this seemed to placate the uncertain figure as she gently placed the object into the dark confines of a belt pack.

"Thank you Shepard." I dragged myself back to my feet as I heard this.

"You don't have to thank me for anything Tali, you've earned this." I placed a hand on the girl shaking shoulder. "I did ask you to cut off my arm after all." I smiled ever so slightly as I said this.

"Like I could forget" snorted the female figure as she turned to leave. "And just to let you know I'm sending this money back to the fleet"

"I wouldn't expect anything less." came my polite reply as the door closed shut behind her; time slowly ticked by as I stood motionless, as if rooted to the spot as my mind slowly played and replayed the events that had just been carried out before me. "I really am a monster." I muttered as I cradled a copy of the data in a clenched fist.

"_I'll send you a copy of the data soon sir." the glowing figure in the live feed beamed happily as he heard the statement._

"_Good, good, this is a real coup de gras for us lad, the information that you recovered will be the foundation for the future of the company." I nodded slowly in agreement before continuing my outline of the plan._

"_I've made two backups of the stolen Geth schematics, one of which I'll give to the young quarian in my employment as a pilgrimage gift." this generated a knowing smile from my superior as he interrupted._

"_Just in the case the Systems Alliance Intelligence takes notice and asks you about the data's whereabouts, nicely done."_

"_Thank you sir."_

The unpleasant memory faded back into the blackness of my mind as I slowly exited the silent space.

* * *

><p>"Normandy, your arrival was not scheduled; our defence grid is armed and tracking you; state your business!" the harsh tone came blaring out of the cockpit speakers as we drew closer to the icy planet.<p>

"Citadel business, we've got a council spectre on board." Snapped Joker as I began broadcasting an authorisation code from my spot in a nearby seat, after several long seconds an unhappy reply came spluttering over the open com-link.

"Landing access granted Normandy, be advised we will be confirming identification on arrival, if confirmation cannot be established your vessel will be impounded." the helmsman allowed a disapproving scowl to play across his face as he heard this.

"What a fun bunch, I think I'll take my next leave here."

"Welcome to my world." I coldly state as I extracted myself from the seating arrangements and made a bee line towards the cargo hold.

"Commander on deck." Barked Gunnery Chief Williams as she caught sight of me exiting the ship's elevator.

"Fall in, on the double." the order was quickly carried out as the assembled members hastily formed up in some sort of line, with the notable exception of Wrex, who languished against a nearby bulkhead. "We're going to be touching down on Noveria in a few minutes so I want everyone to be geared up and ready to go in five, am I clear?" a crystal clear acknowledgement echoed around the cavernous space as I looked over at the assembled subordinates. "Any questions?" a smattering of limbs quickly materialised as if from thin air. "Garrus?" the C-sec officer lowered a taloned hand.

"What's our modus operandi for this mission Shepard?" I looked over at the turian as he asked this.

"Standard formation, three man team, including myself, we don't know what to expect within the facility so be on your guard." at that moment Williams decide to politely interrupted.

"If you don't mind me asking skipper, what is our objective for being on the planet?"

"That information is on a need to know basis marine."

"Understood sir" stated the soldier as she snapped to attention automatically.

"Any more questions?" the quite silence was an answer in itself. "Alright, you're dismissed." the little group disintegrated as everyone rushed to get ready. "Not you Vakarian." I coldly ordered as the energetic individual came hurtling by. "I have a task for you."

"Sure thing Commander." spluttered the officer uncertainly as I pulled an electronic notebook from a coat pocket.

"I want a list of all the replacement parts we need for engineering, prioritise the essential components." the alien flicked through the empty folder as I walked away. "You've got twenty minutes, jump to it." the male's spluttering protests were quickly brushed aside as the lift door pulled shut. "Tali can you hear me?" my enquiry was quickly answered by the slightly frazzled engineer as she picked up the other end of the conversation.

"I'm a bit busy Commander, but go ahead"

"I sending Garrus to get a checklist of things that we need for engineering, help the poor kid out." that got the girls attention.

"Sure thing." the line went dead.

"We've just pulled into Port Hanshan Shepard." stated the flight lieutenant as I made my way up towards the command deck.

"Noted, I'm on my way." and a mere moments later I found myself thundering towards the main airlock. "Tell Alenko and Wrex to double time it to the airlock."

"Roger that commander." replied the helmsman. "And by the way, welcome home." I ignored the sarcastic comment as I confined myself to yet another tedious decontamination cycle.

* * *

><p>"That's far enough!" demanded the private security operative as she raised a hand to stop me.<p>

"Nice to see you too, Matsuo-san." I muttered dismissively as my ground team came to halt a few meters away.

"Mr Shepard, what a surprise, we weren't expecting you." the officer stated with something resembling warmth as her subordinates tensed noticeably at my name. "Unfortunately due to your unscheduled arrival I can't permit access to the facility without official credentials."

"Don't you people watch the news?" I commented drily as the authorisation codes were transmitted to the woman's omni-tool.

"I do, but that doesn't change protocol." coldly retorted the blond woman next to her as Matsuo ran a check on the cipher, after a split second a reassuring ping clearly indicated the legitimacy of the transmission. "Your clear of entry Commander." but my march towards the blast proof doors was interrupted her continued interruption. "As soon as you hand over you side arms into our care."

"No." the hard remark brought both sides to sudden stand off as we brought our weapons to bear on one another.

"Sergeant Stirling, secure their weapons."

"I'd like to see you try." rumbled Wrex as he pumped the slide of his shotgun.

"We are authorised to use lethal force, you have until the count of three to surrender your weapons."

"Your funeral." I cold commentated as I flicked the safety off.

"One" I cleared my mind as she continued counting. "Two, thre..." but that was as far as it went.

"Captain Matsuo, stand down!" the voice echoed out of all the available speakers, mere moments before I plastered the nearby wall with the woman's brains. "We've confirmed the identity, spectres are authorised to carry weapons here captain." the statement didn't go down so well with the assembled security personnel, who continued to scowl at us as they put their armaments away.

"You may proceed agent." snapped the private security contractor as she glared daggers at me. "I hope the rest of your visit will be less confrontational." I returned my sidearm to its shoulder holster.

"That makes two of us." I muttered as my team proceeded unhindered into the spaceport.

"That could have turned out differently." whispered Alenko as he glanced back over his shoulder at the unhappy security personnel some distance behind us.

"But it didn't, luckily" I retorted disinterestedly as we closed on the passport control.

"Mores the pity." said the towering mercenary as he eyed up the distinct bulge underneath my coat. "I want to see that cannon in action."

"Why am I not surprised" but quietly I had to agree with him, the shiny new toy had been put together by Dolan in his spare time (which was surprising considering he never stopped working) after that little fiasco back on Therum; the gun in question was a modified M-358 Talon, which had its firing mechanism exchanged so that instead of firing normal shavings from the ammo block it fired a slug round with devastating effect; unfortunately this did lead to a number of drawbacks, chief amongst them was the fact that it snapped the wrist of anyone who wasn't augmented and that it only delivered six shots before it overheated; but the negatives were easily outweighed by that fact that it could blow a orange sized hole clean through a krogan's chest cavity.

"Uh Commander?" my internal monologue was quickly brought to a crashing halt as a high-pitched wail began blurting out of the duty office.

"Weapon detectors, no need to be alarmed." hastily stated a Latino woman, who came hurrying out from a nearby security booth. "I'm Gianna Parasini, assistant to administrator Anoleis, we apologise for the incident in the docking bay." my eyes narrowed behind my sunglasses as I examined the woman's face.

"No problem." the response was met with a relieved sigh from the company employee as she glanced over at the rest of my squad.

"One of my duties is orientation of new arrivals, do you have any questions?" never one for missing an opportunity to gather intelligence I quietly accepted her offer.

"Has anyone unusual passed through lately?" the question was met with a slightly bemused expression as the figure in front of me wracked her memory for half a second.

"Unusual, an asari matriarch passed through a few days ago, Lady Benezia." this sudden announcement swept all other concerns aside.

"Benezia T'soni, Matriarch Benezia T'soni is here on Noveria?" the woman was taken aback by the harshness of my tone.

"Indeed, she arrived a few days ago but has already departed for the Peak-15 research facility, to the best of my knowledge she has yet to return." I snapped of a glare to my subordinate.

"Alenko!"

"Sir." I jabbed a thump at the fidgeting receptionist as I raised a finger to my ear.

"Get as many details out of her as you can, I have to call this in." the man jumped to it as I stormed away towards the front doors. "Pressly respond." my executive officer picked up the instantaneously.

"What's wrong Commander?" enquired the unseen speaker as I came to a halt at the bottom of an unnecessary large set of stairs.

"I've got confirmation of a priority target on sight; I need the rest of my ground team on the double." to the man's credit if he was shocked by the unexpected turn of events his voice didn't show it.

"Understood Commander, I've just sent a message to rest your team, they're en route"

"Good, Shepard out." the line went dead as I quickly returned to the too the heated discussion that was going on above me.

"What do you mean we can't get up there?" snarled Wrex suspiciously as he looked over towards me.

"Like I've already explained sir, you need to speak to Administrator Anoleis for clearance to leave the spaceport." I didn't like the sound of this.

"I'm a council spectre, I don't need authorisation." the threat did not go unnoticed by Miss Parasini, who took a nervous step away from me.

"I'm sorry but the port is in lock down due to a particularly nasty blizzard, you will need a pass from Mr Anoleis to proceed." I swore vehemently as I left, my subordinates in tow.

"Load of varren piss." rumbled the mercenary as we came to a sudden stop. "They're doing this deliberately."

"Have to agree with Wrex on this one Sir." added Alenko evenly as quickly looked back up the stairs at the checkpoint. "It definitely seems like their trying to hinder our progress."

"Noted." I snapped irritably, but my attention was distracted as I caught sight of the rest of my associates coming flying down the docking bay.

"What's the situation Skipper?" hurriedly spluttered the gunnery chief as she came to a screeching halt in front of me.

"I'll explain when everyone else gets here." I muttered as the remaining stragglers came staggering through the main doors.

"What's wrong Commander?" shouted Vakarian as he caught sight of our little group.

"Keep your voice down." the chastisement seemed to strip some of the enthusiasm from the turian's face as I moved everyone to one side.

"What is going on Shepard?" softly enquired Tali as she drew in close.

" Benezia is here on Noveria." the announcement sent a wave of amazement through the assembled specialists.

"My mother, she's here?" whispered Doctor T'soni in almost mild disbelief as she fixed me with a nervous expression "Are you sure?"

"Yes." she fell silent as she heard this.

"What's the game plan Commander?" interjected Williams as she dragged a watchful eye away from the young asari.

"Our primary aim is to neutralise the matriarch, she too important to be allowed to get away so if it come to it don't hesitate to kill the Matriarch or any her supporters on site" I could tell that the order didn't sit well with the individual's daughter. "Doctor T'soni can I have a moment." I coldly stated as I ushered the surprised woman to one side.

"This is about my mother isn't it Shepard"

"Yes" I quietly replied as a metallic hand pulled the sunglass from my face. "Can I trust you to be part of this?" the young woman held my gaze for a long moment before answering.

"After everything you and I have seen Commander, on Feros, on Therum, how can, how can..." her voice faltered as emotions surged to the surface as she continued. "I have to stop her; Benezia wouldn't want this, my mother was a good and noble woman, not this thing that Saren turned her into." I remanded silent as the good doctor poured out her soul to me, it wasn't something that I was terribly used to if the truth be told. "But if you would feel safer leaving me on the Normandy I'll understand." I interrupted at that point.

"I won't lie to you Liara, it would make my life a hell of a lot easier if you stayed behind on the ship, but..." I paused for half a moment, in almost total disbelief of what I was about to say. "But this isn't about me, it's about you, if you give me your word then that's good enough for me." a lifetime of experience screamed at me in alarm as it heard this, but nothing was ever simple when it came to Benezia, not for me and not for her daughter

"You have my word Shepard, no matter what happens I will stop my mother, I owe her that much."

"As do I" I quietly muttered, almost to myself as much the woman in front of me. "You better get back to the others" the young asari quickly nodded in understanding as she hastily rejoined the modest group that was watching us and after a what felt an eternity I silently joined them.

"You ladies finished your little chit chat?" chuckled Wrex, the comment drew a scathing glare from every woman within ear shot, which forced me to take the reins of the conversation before the towering mercenary found himself being lynched.

"Enough, I'm not in the mood Wrex." the krogan snorted in mild frustration as his fun was brought to an end.

"Have it your way"

"Getting back on topic." interrupted Garrus as he worked his way into the debate. "Do we have any more intel?"

"We can guess that she's not going to be unguarded." I glanced over at the lieutenant as I said this. "Did you manage to get anything out of the assistant Alenko?" the man hurriedly checked his memory for anything that he'd mite of missed.

"Miss Parasini said something about bodyguards, but she didn't go into anything specific." this didn't go down with several members of my team.

"Which means they're going to be commandos." muttered Wrex with a chuckle.

"Indeed." my tone was not encouraging and it shouldn't have been; asari commandos weren't people that you wanted to underestimate.

"She also said something about cargo as well." added the alliance officer, now that caught my interest.

"What kind of cargo?" I forcefully enquired; the man almost seemed to almost squirm under my penetrating gaze.

"Bulk freight, is it important Commander?" but he didn't get an answer as I exchanged a knowing look with my engineer.

"What do you think Tali, is it possible, could she get them through customs if they were deactivated?" the teenage quarian quickly caught on to what I was getting at.

"It's possible if their processers were turned off they wouldn't register on security scanners as a risk"

"If they haven't bribed the local authorities already" snapped Williams as she looked around at the surrounding security personnel. "They don't seem to happy to see us"

"Private corporations are never happy to see central government snooping around." I said, pulling the collar of my coat higher to combat the chill.

"Speaking from personal experience skipper?" asked the marine.

"You better believe it gunnery chief." I looked back at checkpoint before continuing the commentary. "But you have a point, they're deliberately try to block us from leaving this facility." this caused a small uproar from those who hadn't been there to hear it the first time.

"Alright quiet down" I snapped, the order had the desired effect and moments later I found myself centre of attention once more. "This is what we're going to do"

* * *

><p>"Are you sure this is a good idea Shepard?" rumbled the krogan as he glanced back over his shoulder at the young asari in tow. "This doesn't seem like something you would do at all" I didn't both to reply to the comment as we sauntered into the administrator's office.<p>

"Ah Commander Shepard, Administrator Anoleis is expecting you" commentated the assistant as she pulled her attention away from the glow holographic screen. "Please wait a moment"

"We're not going anywhere" I coldly replied as the woman quickly pressed the privet intercom.

"Mr Anoleis, Commander Shepard is asking to see you sir" the line crackled into life in response.

"Right, fine, come in." without waiting for further confirmation I headed towards the heavy looking security doors set into the far wall.

"You will excuse me if I don't stand up, I don't have time to entertain riffraff." the salarian was even more anxious than usual and that was saying something.

"Nice to see you haven't changed Bel." the remark seemed to strike a nerve with the bureaucrat as he scowled over his data pad at the assembled souls in front of him.

"This greeting is a courtesy, I will only co-operate as required by the executive board." the alien fixed me with a cold stare. "Businesses come here to avoid the second-guessing of galactic law, as you yourself know only too well." I didn't miss the pointed jibe aimed in my direction.

"I'm not here to discuss the finer points of corporate obedience, I'm here because Matriarch Benezia is on the planet; you're going to tell me everything or so help me god I'm going to beat it out of you" the businessman didn't take the threat particularly well, right up until the point where I pointed my intimidating firearm into the man's face.

"She arrived a few days ago, accompanied by a personal escort and some cargo; she's up at Peak 15."

"What kind of personal escorts and what kind of cargo?" I snapped forcefully as the weapon was slowly returned to its shoulder holster.

"To answer the first question I believe that they were mainly asari commandos." this drew s disbelieving snort from between Wrex's lips as he heard this.

"You let asari, who can kill you with their brains run around, but give us flak about guns?" he had a point but I didn't push the issue, unfortunately the administrator wasn't so wise.

"They followed all our regulations; I had no reason to forbid Lady Benezia from taking them"

"That's enough." the pair exchanged ice like glares before the salarian got back on track.

"What else did you want to know?" unhappily enquired the man as he quickly ran a hand across his moistened brow.

"Her cargo what can you tell me about it?" the individual in front of me quickly answered at a data pad before responding.

"Large, heavy and sealed; it passed weapon screening, beyond that it's not your concern" this statement didn't go down well with several members of my team, who exchanged unhappy looks with one another.

"Can you at least tell me what she's doing her?" I coolly asked as I fixed the man with a steely expression, but to the bureaucrat's credit he didn't falter.

"Even if I knew I wouldn't be at liberty to say, she came here as Saren's executor." that drew people's interests, especially the good doctor's.

"Excuse me, his what?" spluttered the young woman as she glanced over at me in mild confusion.

"Executor" spelled out Anoleis in a derogatory tone. "Saren is a major shareholder in Binary Helix, Lady Benezia is authorised to act in his name" my mind began to race as it absorbed this information, but even still more unpleasant information was about to be revealed. "She's here on business for Binary Helix, there were issues at Peak 15 that required Saren's attention." now that caught my attention, what kind of situation could cause the rogue spectre to send his most influential lieutenant to such an out of the way planet, even one as powerful as Noveria.

"I need to see her, sort it out." I snapped as I turned to leave.

"I'm afraid that you cannot." the smug reply came echoing over my shoulder as I came to a halt half way out the door.

"Why not?" my voice was dangerously low and almost on impulse several members of my team took a step away from me.

"Peak 15 is a private facility in the Skadi Mountains, regardless there is a blizzard in the area, shuttles are grounded and surface access has been cut off." the statement set alarm bells ringing in my head as I slowly turned to face him once more.

"Then we'll take a mako." I demand

"It's been cut off I said." bellowed the administrator as he slammed a fist down onto the glass desk. "Don't make an issue of this agent!" I didn't wait to hear the rest of his pathetic excuses as I stormed out of the unpleasant space and past the surprised assistant, who desperately attempted to catch my attention, but she was shot down in no short order as I exited the sterile office.

"Well that was useful" Muttered Garrus as he exchanged a pointed look with one of the guards on duty as we headed towards a quiet corner.

"Stay focused." I snapped as I quickly glanced around at the watching security personnel. "It's obvious now that the local authorities are in collaboration with the enemy, so we'll have to find an alternative route to the objective." I japed a finger at Vakarian as I continued talking. "Take Tali, get the parts we need, then meet us back here." the pair quickly nodded in understanding before heading off towards a likely looking merchant. "Rest of you, with me"

The next few minutes passed by at a crawl as the unexpectedly slow elevator trundled towards its final destination.

"Can't this thing go any faster" muttered the mercenary uneasily as he attempted not to crush anyone against a glass window pane.

"Stop your whining." I ordered disinterestedly as I cast my eyes once more of the email that had just arrived in heads up display, its sole contents was a slightly grainy image depicting a middle-aged turian at what I presumed was a wedding judging from the formal looking clothes everyone was wearing. "The alliance is forking out a hefty sum for your continued employment, so try not to complain." this drew a derogatory snort from the krogan, but nothing more and fortunately for everyone there came a distinctive ping as it came to a halt.

"Finally." grumbled Wrex as he forced his way out of the narrow space. "I hate elevators."

"Go and get yourself a drink." my instruction was backed up as I flicked a high denomination credit chit at the mountain of muscle. "The rest of you do the same." understandably this was met with mix reservations from the remainder of the ground team.

"What going on Commander?" asked Williams uncertainly as she cast her eyes around the lofty drinking area. "What are we doing here?" but the question went unanswered as I quickly caught sight of my target, sitting alone in the corner of the room.

"Go and get a drink." I ordered in an unwavering tone as I made a bee line for the lone figure.

"Lorik Qui'in?" the individual in question glanced up from his odd looking cocktail.

"Thank the spirits." replied the turian wearily as took a deep swig of the neon pink liquid. "I was starting to think I'd been forgotten about." I drop into the offered seat across from him.

"Mr Coyle grew concerned and ordered me to investigate." my statement brought a knowing smile to the manager's face, the plates on his cheeks flexing subtly.

"Ah, so you're Agent Shepard, I've heard a lot about you and it a pleasure to finally meet you."

But I wasn't in the mood for base chitchat.

"Get to the point Mr Qui'in, why am I here?" the forceful question quickly wiped the jovial light from the man's eyes as he heard it.

"I'm under investigation from the administration on charges of corruption; they closed down our branch office and have denied me any off world contact." this announcement didn't go down to well with me as I fixed him with a cold stare.

"Are the charges accurate?" I demanded in a razor sharp tone, to his credit Mr Qui'in didn't look away once.

"No, there completely unfounded, I'm innocent." and I believed him, from what the boss had said and my brief discussion with the Turian in question I'd could clearly see why he'd been recommended for this particular position.

"So are you saying that administrator Anoleis is the one who's corrupt?" it was rather obvious to anyone that the salarian was as bent as a U-bend, but to go as far as to implicate a multi-terrestrial corporation in a charge of fraud was unheard of.

"Well I've noticed that he's become quite wealthy since he took direct control of rents."

"The oldest sins in the newest ways" I muttered, my associate seemed to agree.

"Indeed" he took another sip of his potent concoction before continuing. "I acquired evidence of Anoleis's actions, but before I could get the information off planet he disconnected our office from the network."

"Is the data is still there?" the man nodded at my question.

"He's got hired goons in there now ransacking the place trying to find it." that definitely caught my attention and for all the wrong reasons.

"We're going to need that data." I coldly stated "If we're ever going to get out of this blighted spaceport" this drew a raised eye-plate from the corporate employee as he heard it.

"That's easily enough done, deal with Anoleis and I'll just give you mine, it should be in my office desk somewhere." I nodded in silent agreement at the suggestion. "I should probably add at this point that the hired thugs are all members of Hanshan's security team, he's paying them under the table and I don't believe that Captain Matsuo knows what's going on." personally I can see the problem.

"They made their beds, now they have to lie in them." the Turian grinned evil.

"My thoughts exactly" he slid an OSD across the table towards me. "This contains an encryption key for accessing the data on my private terminal; I'll assume that you'll know what to do from there"

"After all this time so do I." I quietly replied as the two of us rose to feet, but before we part an idea exploded like flower blossom in my mind. "What can you tell me about Gianna Parasini?" the question seemed to take the branch manager totally by surprise, which was clearly indicated by the fact that it took him several seconds to come up with an answer.

"Miss Parasini, she's a nice enough, hardworking, professional, not too bad to look at, for a human at least, why?" I slowly gazed up at the ceiling before responding.

"You do realize that she's IA right?" if you could show me a more surprised looking turian in all of history I'd would have liked to have seen it.

"You're joking."

"Seriously." I replied as the uncomfortable employee in front of me shifted ever so slightly in his seat. "I can't be one hundred percent sure (this was due to the fact that my neural implants were currently offline, which prevented me from checking my internal hard drive or the extranet for reliable information) but she definitely has the aura of an internal affairs agent and I should know after all, I've dealt with enough of them." and it was true, some of them even managed to go home alive.

"Is she here to investigate Anoleis?" nervously enquired Mr Qui'in as he quickly finished his mid-day appetiser.

"That would be my guess, if the administrator is as corrupt as you say then the executive board will want to be rid of him." I indicated for the man to follow me as I headed towards my waiting ground team. "If that's the case then you'll might want to consider throwing your lot in with her and tidying things up before Mr Coyle finds out." the individual shuddered as he heard this and with good reason; no one want to be here if our employer decided to deal with it in person.

"I'll think about it." muttered the man as I stepped into the waiting elevator. "Good luck, you'll need it."

* * *

><p>"I don't think you're supposed to be in here Shepard." stated Sergeant Stirling coldly as my team exited the manager's private office.<p>

"Neither are you." I coldly growled as I quickly scanned the two guards who flanked her on either side.

"Anoleis would throw you off world for what you did here, but I won't; you know what we did to criminals on my home planet?" but the woman's threatening rant was brought to an abrupt halt from an unexpected source.

"You're here off duty, breaking the law for bribe money; you expect us to feel sad for stopping you?" snapped Doctor T'soni as she levelled her weapon at the slightly stunned security guard.

"I couldn't say it better myself Doctor." I smugly added as the hired thug snarled in anger.

"Get them!" The woman's order was only partly carried out before I sent two rounds smashing through the front of her skull and out the other side; the ensuing fire fight was quickly brought to an end by a peerless display of marksmanship as Wrex and Williams court the remaining mercenaries' in a withering crossfire from their elevated positions.

"Sound off." I barked as I gave the sergeants faceless corpse a disrespectful kick to make sure that she was dead.

"I'm fine"

"Me too"

"No problem here Commander." I glanced over at the young asari who was looking down at the bullet ridden body beneath her.

"Doctor, Doctor T'soni?" the question seemed to snap her back into the real world.

"Yes Commander?"

"Are you alright, are you hurt?" the woman hastily shook her head in denial as she heard this.

"I'm fine Shepard, just lost in thought, thats all" I didn't press the point, it was pretty obvious what was going through the young lady's mind, after all it had been playing on my mind ever since I'd heard that recording all those months ago back on the citadel.

"We're all clear down here skipper. I've got a cracked thigh plate but it didn't penetrate." calmly stated the gunnery chief as we came stomping down the staircase towards her.

"Good" I pulled the OSD out of a coat pocket. "Take this, give it to Lorik Qui'in." this didn't go down to well with the female marine in front of me, but I wasn't in the mood for debate and Williams' knew it.

"Yes Commander." grumbled the soldier as she trudged off towards the elevator.

"Wrex go with her." the mercenary grunted in quiet acknowledgement as he loped off after her.

"What about Tali and Garrus commander, do you want me to contact them?"

"Go ahead Lieutenant; tell them to meet us in the garage." in hindsight it might have been better if they'd hadn't. As we came striding up to the check point everything seemed to be chugging along a good pace, the guard on duty amateurishly attempted to delay our progress but was quickly brushed to one side as I pushed the pass into her face. "Let us through I've got authorisation." the nervous figure hurriedly ran an omni-tool of the holographic display.

"Yes, this pass is genuine, drive safely, I've heard that the weather is supposed to be pretty bad out in the Aleutsk Valley." I politely thanked the on duty officer before making my way into the waiting underground parking lot, but the impressive progress was brought to a shuddering halt as there came an all too familiar clicking sound from somewhere further into the shadowy space

"Shepard?" Liaras nervous tone fell on deaf ears as I caught sight of the radar in my heads up display flicker and die.

"Contact!" my voice echoed out over the open area as geth forces came charging out of the gloom towards us. "Suppressing fire!" but that particular order was hard to carry out as burningly bright light smashed into my sidearm, sending billowing clouds of steam streaming out all over the place.

"Geth leaper!" shouted Alenko as he sent a surging wave of biotic energy down field.

"I'd say this is what mother had in the crates." yelled Doctor T'soni of the roaring of battle as a pair of tower geth destroyers came lumbering into the fray.

"Focus on the light infantry, I'll take care of the heavy stuff." the ordered was meet with frantic agreement from the two subordinates as I mentally triggered my inbuilt cloaking systems, it lasted just long enough for me to sprint across the open space and slam a razor sharp blade point first into one of the lumbering constructs' necks; unfortunately the remaining assailant didn't take to kindly to my antics, which was painfully demonstrated as it smashed its imposing cannon into the chaotic struggle next to it.

"Commander!" the Lieutenants frantic call came a moment to late as I found myself being sent tumbling end over end across the concrete floor.

"Stay back!" I bellowed as a familiar sensation came flooding back into my system as the tell-tale signs of the combat stimulants let themselves be known; the world around me went gray at the edges and the lumbering behemoth slowed to almost a crawl as it took a swing in my general direction, but it never reached me as I ducked easily under the awkward attack; seconds later I countered with a soul shattering left hook that sent the towering assailant thundering backwards into a parked mako. "Stay down!" I roared as my stomped on the downed assailant until the lower half of my leg was coated in a thick layer of synthetic fluid.

"Keelah, stop Shepard, just stop." Tali's concerned tones snapped me out of my private world mid-way through yet another vicious attack. "It's not a threat anymore." and she was right; after all it was pretty hard to tell if the mangled mess of metal could even still count as a synthetic after what I'd done to it.

"Sound off." I barked absentmindedly as my mind shouted at itself for losing focus.

"Here Commander" shouted Alenko as he step out from behind cover.

"Doctor?" but only silence answered back across the empty void. "Doctor T'soni?" a sickening feeling worked its way into the pit of my stomach. "Liara!" the roar thundered off of every inch of the surrounding steel and concrete, a ghostly echo full of emotion.

"I'm here Shepard" spluttered the embarrassed asari as she came into view.

"Don't do that." I snarled as everyone's attention was distracted by the sound of pounding footfalls.

"We've got company." shouted Vakarian as he came sprinting into the ruined garage. "I've jammed the door controls but they won't hold for long"

"Security?" I enquired coldly.

"That would be my guess." replied the turian as he questioningly glanced over towards the bloody carnage behind me. "What do you want us to do?" the situation wasn't helped by the all too familiar sound of plasma cutters biting into the portal face.

"Lieutenant!" the man jumped to attention.

"Sir!"

"I want that rear exit open!" I spun on my heels to face the rest of the team. "Everyone else get in the mako, we are leaving!" there wasn't any time to lose as there came a shuddering thud as something heavy slammed into the blocked entrance. "Get moving!" I bellowed as without pausing for breath everyone made a head long dash towards the nearest vehicle.

"I call shotgun." crowed Garrus as he yanked open the divers hatch with excessive energy.

"Fine but get a move on!" I jumped in after him as there came the tell-tale sound of the passenger ramp returning to its resting place. "Get the intercom on, I'll get us moving" but my comment was lost as the bulky engine roared into life, just as a familiar voice came blaring out of my earpiece.

"Gates open Commander, bring her through"

"Roger that Alenko, get in the back, you're coming with us." the alliance officer gave an affirmative reply which was quickly lost in the deafening rumble of grinding tires and horsepower as the APC tore across the concrete towards the intended exit.

"I'm dropping the rear ramp Commander." stated Vakarian as he taloned hands danced over the control panel.

"I'm on, punch it." yelled the alliance marine as his voice came echoing out from the overhead speaker.

"Hold on." I calmly ordered as I slammed my foot down hard onto the accelerator.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you liked this chapter, please leave a comment or review, both myself and my proofreader would love to know what you think.<strong>

**Gods-own.**


	19. Chapter 19: Blinding White

**Sorry for the long wait folks, between poor health and lots of work I've found it hard to keep up the once a month update.**

**hope you like the new chapter, let me know what you think.**

**Gods-own.**

**Chapter 19: Blinding White.**

"Damn it, this stuff is thick." I muttered as we ploughed on through the snow toward Peak 15. "Keep an eye on those readings, I don't want to run into an ambush."

"Understood Commander." Replied Garrus as he turned his attention back towards the glowing screen.

"Shepard, how's it looking up there?" Tali's inquisitive tone cut through the quiet stillness of the cockpit.

"It's a complete whiteout, we can't see ten meters in front of us."

"Do you think we'll even make it into the facility?" added the teenager

"We'll make it" It wasn't a question, it was a fact; alas Lady Luck wasn't going to let it be that easy.

"Contacts at 2 o'clock!" shouted Vakarian as a split-second later something slammed angrily into the front of the vehicle.

"Brace yourselves!" I bellowed as a volley of missiles came crashing down all around.

"Shields are down to fifty percent Commander!" stated my co-pilot as he let off a blazing retorted with the main gun.

"I'm breaking through, everyone hold on!" I muttered from between clenched teeth as the lumbering APC bore down on the hastily erected barricade; it didn't end well, not for the geth at any rate judging from the sounds that emanated from the undercarriage as the mako hammed throw their defences.

"By the goddess, what's happening up there?" spluttered the asari as her face flicked onto the overhead monitor.

"Nothing you need to worry about, just shut up and enjoy the ride. The conversation was cut short as the c-sec officer hastily diverted power from the on-board communications to the shields.

"Not really the time for chit chat Commander." muttered the turian as he glanced back down at the radar nervously. "We've got limited sensors and I get the distinct feeling that this won't be the last blockade that we'll run into."

"That's pretty much is guaranteed " I coldly replied as we worked our way along the narrow track way. "Can you try and get a message through to the Normandy?"

"I can try Commander, but in this weather it's not likely. Give me a second" but it was not to be, as that all that could be shown for the man's efforts was an unbroken band of static that bled out from the nearby speakers.

"I take it by all that noise that you've had no luck?" my question didn't go down to well with the alien as he slammed a fist down onto the top of the control board in mild frustration.

"I'm sorry commander but there's just no getting through this storm." I let out a frustrated sigh as I heard this.

"It was worth the shot, just keep an eye on the radar, we could all do without taking a dive into a ravine."

"Roger that Shepard" chuckled Garrus as he looked out of the foreboding landscape in front of us. "But at least you have practice at it." I ignored the comment, which turned out to be a rather timely decision as the hurtling rocket clearly indicated.

"More geth?" I snapped as we veered out of the way and into a nearby snow drift.

"Doesn't look like it." replied my co-pilot as he locked onto the distant shape. "I think it's the research labs auto-defence systems, they been activated." as to corroborate the statement a second turret game trundling online just a few hundred meters away.

"Oh come on!" but my unhappy response was lost under the deafening impact that rattled everybody inside in APC.

"What's going on up there Commander?" frantically enquired Alenko as his voice came barrelling out of the inter-com.

"We're under heavy attack, you guys better get ready to abandon the mako." this didn't go down to well with the occupants of the crew compartment but their complaints were quickly silenced by a second collision that sent the downed APC digging even deeper into the snowdrift. "We can't take much more of this" I shouted as alarm bells started blaring in the cockpit.

"Just...one...more...hit" muttered Vakarian from between clenched teeth as he lined up his next shot with tactical finesse, a split second later there came a trio of sky blue explosions as the partly hidden defences erupted as the projectile hit home. "Scoped and dropped!" yelled the turian as he punched the air victoriously.

"Stay focused!" I chided as I angrily attempted to get the engine back online. "We still need to get into the facility." unfortunately it seemed that it wasn't going to be that easy. "Tali link your Omni-tool into the computer; see if you can do anything"

"Understood Shepard" stated the teenager as her helmeted head flickered into view on the damaged monitor.

"How far are we from the complex?" Garrus quickly brought up a holographic map before replying.

"About three hundred meters." he raised an eye plate in a questioning look. "Why?" I glanced out into the churning snowstorm for a long moment. "Are you thinking of going forward on foot?"

"We can't stay here forever and we need to get into the facility before the enemy has a chance to reinforce their positions." I could tell that the idea didn't sit too well with the young security officer so I brought up the live feed once more. "How's it looking Tali?" my tone seemed to snap the young engineer out of her focus as she tore her gaze away from the glowing interface.

"I can't fix this Commander, the eezo core is functioning but the main power lines totally shot; we're going to have to come up with another idea." I quietly looked over at my associate as we heard this.

"You heard her Vakarian, looks like we're out of options." the individual sighed unhappily as he dragged his helmet back down over his head.

"I hate the cold." muttered the alien as I jammed my own down into place.

"You're a turian, get over it." I whispered as I opened a link to the rest of my subordinates. "Get your helmets on and check your environment seals, we're going for a hike." moments later a blind wall of ice assaulted me as my co-pilot cracked open the emergency roof hatch.

"We need to move Commander" Shouted Garrus over his com-link as I clambered out of the ruined vehicle.

"Then get going." I snapped as I dropped down into the knee deep snow. "We can't stay out here for long." the rest of my team hastily beat a bee line towards the towering installation that could just be seen silhouetted high above them in the swirling storm.

"I don't think my suit is going to be able to take this." spluttered a freezing Tali as we worked our way over yet another snowdrift.

"Hold on everyone, we're nearly there." I muttered as I looked further up the column towards the bulky figure at it its head. "How you doing Garrus?" there was a long pause before I got an answer.

"Not so good, how about you?" I flicked my attention down towards a flashing indicator in the corner of my heads up display.

"Mine aren't going to last much longer either. Come on, double time it."

"Roger that." but before I could see the fruits of this manoeuvre I caught sight of my engineer taking a full frontal dive into the waiting white stuff.

"Hold on we're nearly there." I whispered as I dragged the young quarian to her feet.

"We better be." weakly stated the woman as she attempted to take a step forward, it didn't work out so well.

"Damn it." I muttered as I quickly throw the unsteady figure over my right shoulder. "We need to move!" the remaining members of my ground team made a mad dash towards an access hatch that was tucked in next to the main entrance.

"It's locked." shouted Alenko as I drew leave with them.

"Then get it open!" the order was dutifully carried out and moments later we were reward with the oh so satisfying hiss of magnetic clamps loosening their grip

"Everybody inside right now!" bellowed Garrus over the storm as one after another we quickly hastened through the waiting portal, I sighed in relief and checked the environment readings on the room, the result were not promising.

"Damn it all, this place is as nearly as cold as outside, try the next compartment." I snapped as we quickly relocated to the adjoining room; the adjoin door slammed shut behind us.

"The door sealed Commander; it should be safe for helmets off." Stated Vakarian as he glanced over towards me, I nodded in agreement.

"You heard him people, buckets off. Check yourself for frostbite and apply medi-gel as needed. I'm going to check on Tali'Zorah."

"You got it Commander." replied the Alenko's voice from over my shoulder as I made a beeline towards the quarian, who was slumped against a nearby wall.

"Am I in trouble Shepard?" weakly enquired the woman as she caught sight of me homing into view.

"Of course not." I muttered distractedly as I began meticulously checking her suit for rips or tears brought on by the extreme cold. "What gave you that idea?" the teenager began to fidget in embarrassment as she brought her shrouded face up to mine.

"Because you used my whole name just now; you only do that when you're annoyed with me."

"I'm not angry with you Tali, just concerned" I slowly whispered as my mind cursed itself for making me say this out loud, but it seemed to make the girl happy so it wasn't a total loss.

"Alright enough of this crap." I added in a board tone of voice. "Just give me your foot." that got the individual's attention as she spluttered uncontrollably as I took hold of the suited appendage.

"What are you doing!?" squealed the embarrassed quarian as I began to massaging the limb in question.

"I'm trying to stop you from getting frostbite , so stop squirming" I could have sworn that the girls facemask fogged up as I said this but my attention was elsewhere as I carefully worked my way down the soles of her feet, all the while trying not to notice the soft moans that were escaping from the girls speakers.

"I'm not intruding am I?" Sarcastically enquired the turian as he came romping towards us, a shark like grin plastered across his features.

"Just cold weather field triage." I muttered as brought the task to a close. "Didn't you get environmental training back on Palaven during boot camp?"

"We did, but it never really prepares you for the field." replied Garrus as he helped me up right.

"Basic never does, I assume that's why it's called basic." but before I could continue our conversation there came an all too familiar ping from my radar as it picked up movement on the other side of the main doors.

Garrus saw my reaction and immediately put his back to a wall, rifle ready. The look in his eyes held a question; How many?

I held up my hand with three fingers splayed, drew them back into my fist, and extended them again but included my fourth finger. He nodded and I signalled for everyone to get into position.

I glanced at Alenko, who looked back at me and nodded, his body glowing with dark energy as I braced myself for the coming storm.

"Do it" the ordered was carried out with textbook precision, unfortunately what awaited us on the other side was anything but textbook as the scathing salvos of heavy caliber ammunition demonstrated.

"Krogan, krogan on the left!" the warning echoed throughout the lofty space as everyone, including myself dived into the surrounding cover as the geth juggernaut unloaded its massive rifle in our general direction and apparently hoping the law of averages would do its job for it.

"Liara, lift!" I barked moments later a surging wave of blue energy washed across open space as the young asari unleashed her pent-up potential on the unexpected opposition, it had a noticeable effect as the flailing mercenary floating by clearly indicated. "Grenade out!" my subordinates beat a hasty retreat as they caught sight of the disc-like explosive clenched firmly in my hand; the explosion was dynamic to say the least, sending bits and pieces raining down all around, some of which were rather unpleasant, I mean no one likes to see a pair of krogan testicles splattered across a wall at the best of times.

"Commander!" the alarm came a fraction too late as the towering synthetic came hurtling out of nowhere and into to me with the force of a freight train, the world blurred as I found myself being sent tumbling backwards across the hard floor with bone shattering force.

"Shepard!" the voice sounded distant, distorted, almost alien in a way, but I pushed it to one side as I dragged myself upright once more.

"Is that the best you got?" I spat from between blood stained teeth as I triggered my combat stims; the world slurred, time slowed and I was ready to go. "Let's do this." it didn't last very long to tell you the truth, the lumbering opponent telegraphed its punch and I took advantage of it with brutal efficiency as I slammed a combat blade vertically up into the things exposed chest cavity. "You lose!" the snarl was lost amongst the multitude of noise as I tore the weapon free before bringing it back around in a single fluid movement that severed the monsters head from its shoulders; the sound of battle died away as I slowly turned to gaze across the broken landscape that had once been a garage. "Anyone hurt?" the question was quickly answered by a reassuring chorus of voices as the individual members of my team dragged themselves out of whatever firing point they'd been occupying mere moments before.

"Tali, you in one piece?" the teenager gave me the equivalent of a thumbs up as she wiped the unpleasant remnants of yet another krogan from her faceplate. "Liara, Alenko?"

"We're alright commander, what about you?" I brushed the comment aside dismissively.

"Still in one piece for the moment." it was a lie and everyone knew it but it wasn't really the time or place to argue. "Vakarian, you're with me on point, let's move."

"Yes sir." and with that we moved off deeper into the facility, the time slowly dragged by with only the annoying prattle from the facilities V.I software to break the boredom.

"I wish we could turn her off, it's getting on my nerves." quietly whispered the turian as we came to a halt in front of a sealed airlock.

"Stay focused." I chided but internally I was becoming deeply concerned about the nature of the bio hazardous material that was being broadcast over the speakers, after all I could do without walking into a room full of zombies or the like.

"Um, Shepard." Tali's voice echoed out over my shoulder as we step slowly into the empty airlock.

"Yes?"

"Why are the turrets facing the wrong way?" I snapped my mind from the task at hand to look at the source of the teenager's question; on either side of the entrance way was a motionless automaton slowly tracking backwards and forth across the narrow space.

"Standard company policy." I stated evenly. "It prevents anything from escaping from the facility and potentially getting off planet."

"Or any_one_ for that matter." added Liara coldly as she took stock of the threatening construct next to her.

"That too." fortunately for everyone the depressing atmosphere that was encroaching into the conversation was quickly pushed to one side as Garrus caught sight of an elevator around a bend in the hallway.

"Looks like it's still operational commander." explained the C-sec officer as the rest of us regrouped at his position.

"Good" I muttered as I pressed the button to summon the elevator. "I was starting to get tired of stairs." In hindsight it wasn't the smartest decision that I'd ever made.

* * *

><p>"Shepard!" The explosion sent me arching over a nearby railing and down onto the hard metal ground below; how had it come to this, how had I let it come to this?<p>

A few minutes before:

_a chilling wind whipped in all around as my tiny squad advanced along a ruined corridor, with every step the surrounding structure let out creaking groans as additional weight was added to their already unbearable load._

_"This place is in pretty bad shape." whispered the Lieutenant as the two of us advanced down the snow strewn space. "What's going on?"_

_"I don't know and I don't care, stay focused."_

_"Aye Commander." He responded. Out of the corner of my eye something glinted at me from out of a snowdrift . "Hold up." the order echoed off the surrounding steelwork as everyone came to an abrupt halt behind me. "Garrus you see that?" the turian turned his head around the glance at where my finger was pointing._

_"I see it Commander, want me to check it out?" I shook my head in silent response._

_"No we'll both go." I turned to look at the rest of my squad. "The rest of you sit tight until I give the signal." and with that we were off down the corridor towards shapeless lump that could just be seen sticking out from underneath a nearby mound; it turn out to be a geth trooper, lying face down on the floor with a hole where its chest plate used to be._

_"I don't think that was done by weapons fire" quietly said Vakarian as he ran a gloved hand over the jagged wound. "The edges are too rough, some kind of melee weapon maybe?" I slowly nodded in agreement._

_"Whatever it was, it's not here now." I added as I quickly beckoned the rest of the team to join us. "Let's keep moving"_

_"Roger that Commander." replied the C-sec officer as the two of us took point once more; the silence didn't last as with spine tingling clarity there was a scuttling sound that quickly blanketed out the approaching storm, as if a thousand little limbs were on the march and in a way they were._

_"Commander?" I didn't bother to respond as without pausing for thought I made a mad dash towards the waiting access hatch._

_"Dammit it's locked" I muttered as a high-pitched whine emanated from the control pad as my hands danced over the glowing keys. "Tali get this thing open, now!" The nervous figure behind me hastily obeyed and within moments she was hard at work overriding the command console._

_"What is it Commander, what's going on?" Quietly asked Alenko in an uneasy voice as he drew level with me. "What's that noise?"_

_"Trouble." I replied as there came a screeching hydraulic hiss as the metallic portal pulled apart before us. "Let's move!" but before we'd even taken half a step into the next room I could tell that something was deeply wrong, an air of unpleasant intention hung low all around as we slowly spread out into the ruined space. "Stay together, I want everyone within line of sight, am I clear!" my tone was hard but internally my mind was desperately attempting to figure out what was going on, because scattered all around was the broken, bleeding forms of geth ground troops and nearly all of them were fresh judging from the congealing pools of synthetic fluid that carpeted the corpse strewn floor._

_"Keela, I've got a bad feeling about this." whispered Tali as she slowly inched her away across the room towards me._

_"Famous. Last. Words." I chided as there came an all too familiar ping from my heads up display. "We've got movement!" the sound intensified as with every passing second more crimson dots homed into view on my external sensors. "Fifty meters out and closing!"_

_"Their coming from behind!" shouted Garrus as his suit picked up the unmistakable sound on scurrying feet on the over side of the door._

_"Tali, Alenko seal the access hatch!" I glared at the remainder of my squad as I continued bellowing instructions. "Everyone else, circle formation and set up overlapping fields of fire." and it was done with only moments to spare because as the last security bolt slammed home all hell broke loose around us as sections of wall and flooring erupted outwards in a shower of metal shrapnel and glistening chitin._

_"By the goddess what are these things?" frantically spluttered Liara as she sent a churning wave of biotic energy slamming into the enraged swarm._

_"The hell if I know just shoot the bastards!" I snarled as my side arm roared, sending dozens of the pea green enemies splattering all over the artificial landscape._

_"That's fine with me Commander!" growled Vakarian as he unloaded his assault rifle into the encroaching mass in front of us. "Never liked bugs anyway."_

_"Neither have I." but my response was lost in a deafening screech that cut clean through the sound of battle like something monstrous rammed energetically into the sealed portal behind us._

_"I think it's time to go Commander." yelled the lieutenant as a nasty looking dent started to materialize in the bulkhead._

_"You heard the man, move your asses!" the order had barely left my lips when there came the unmistakable sound of shattering glass as something the size of a vintage VW Beetle came thundering out through the window in an adjacent office, its pincer like tentacles snapping in the frozen wind._

_"Holy crap." spluttered Alenko as I watched him dive over the staircases railing as the thing lunged in his general direction._

_"I'm so not in the mood for this!" I coldly muttered as my weapon discharged into the creatures fleshy head and chest, quickly coating the surrounding décor in a thick layer of green gore._

_"Spirits I think I preferred the little ones." Stated Garrus as everyone made a hasty retreat towards the nearest exit._

_"Shut up and run Garrus!" but my withering retort was cut short as the floor section in front of us erupted as something massive came tearing out of the ventilation system._

_"Keep going!" I bellowed as I through myself at the recent arrival. "I'll hold it off until you get the door open." it wasn't one of my smartest ideas as the lumbering monstrosity clearly demonstrated by sending me hurtling through a nearby transparent wall; understandably this didn't go down so well with the other members of my ground team who quickly turned their attentions on the sizeable assailant, the fight didn't last long in all honesty, with Liara delivering the coup de grace in the form of a biotic throw that flattened it into a smear against a nearby partition._

_"Shepard are you alright?" spluttered Tali nervously as she came sprinting into the ruined office._

_"I'm fine." I muttered as I spat the unpleasant contents of my mouth onto the waiting floor. "Keep moving." but internally I felt like I'd been slammed in the stomach with a sledgehammer. "Is that door open yet?"_

_"Almost." replied the teenager as she helped me back onto my feet. "Garrus is working on it right now."_

_"And the bugs?" the quarian glanced nervously over her shoulder as she answered my question._

_"Liara and Kaidan are keeping them at bay with a biotic field but I don't know how long it will hold." that didn't sound reassuring and I made a mental note to remind her about team morale when this was all over, if we survived that is._

_"It'll hold as long as we need it to." I stated as I staggered out into the main lobby once more._

_"Commander we could really use a hand here." muttered the marine as the two of us came sauntering over towards them._

_"I can see that lieutenant, how you holding up?" a bead of sweat could be seen running down the man's face as he remained tightly fixed on a spot no more than three feet away from him._

_"I think we can hold it for about three more minutes, but after that you're on your own."_

_"Good, keep at it." I ordered as I turned my attention towards a likely looking section of flooring._

_"I hope you've got a plan Commander" shout Garrus from where he was kneeling by an access panel. "Because I don't know if I can get this thing open in that time"_

_"You better Vakarian, or I'm leaving you on this god forsaken lump of rock when we're finished." the turian took the comment to heart as he turned his attention once more to task at hand, which was rather fortunate because if the officer in question had seen what I was about to do then I'm not so sure that he'd been as focused on his allotted task._

_"Uh, Commander is this wise?" Enquired Tali nervously as she help me pull back the protective housing that was wrapped around a major fuel line._

_"Ask me that after we've done this and I'll have a definitive answer for you." came my reply as I began strapping grenades to the plasma conduit. "Until then, we'll just consider this a field test." the remark didn't seem fill the teenager with enthusiasm._

_"Not really what I wanted to hear Commander." remarked the female figure as she handed me yet another handful of explosives. "But I'll trust your judgement." I snorted sarcastically as I heard this._

_"Nice to know that one of us does." I fixed the last explosive into place as I continued talking. "Because I for one think that this is downright crazy." there came a reassuring hiss from behind us as the locked access hatch pulled about as if by magic._

_"Get moving!" snarled Alenko from between clenched teeth. "We can't keep this up much longer!" and he was right for with every passing moment the bright blue illuminations were growing dimmer._

_"You first." I muttered as I grabbed hold of the back of the pairs combat suits, and before the duo could truly figure out was going on I sent them hurtling one after the other through the open doorway._

_"Tell me next time before you do something like that!" Spat Tali in mild frustration as she joined me in the hasty withdrawal down the gantry._

_"Shut up and run." I coldly countered as a wave of car sized assailants came rushing down the walkway after us. "Or would you rather be baked alive in your environment suit?" but the answer never came as a soul shattering shockwave sent the two of us somersaulting over the remaining length of the passage as the concealed payload finally finished counting down; the effects were rather breathtaking if not intimidating as the entire area lit up like a roman candle, sending blistering surges of green energy thundering throughout the immediate vicinity._

_"Close it, close it now!" franticly stammered Liara as she caught sight of the nearby metal work starting to blister under the heat._

_"I'm trying!" Shouted Garrus as he slammed the command code into the control panel. "But it's not working, the circuitry must be fried." but their frantic argument was cut short as my bellowing roar came crashing down all around them._

_"Move!" The demand was met with little protest as the assembled figures beat a hasty retreat back down the last few meters of corridor towards the waiting elevator; it didn't take long for it to reach us but in that time I got the distinct feeling of blisters forming on the skin of my back._

_"Bosh'tet, why can't this thing go any faster!" muttered Tali angry as the lift rocketed skywards once more. "It's still not cooling down!" The statement didn't fill me with confidence as I recalled Cedric saying something about his peoples intolerance towards heat due to their long existent within deep space._

_"Hold on, we're nearly there." I whispered as I placed a hand on the girl's shoulder in an attempt to reassure her. "Just a little longer." it seemed to have the desired effect as I could have sworn that a split second later I caught a glimpse of a wry smile playing across the girl's hidden features._

_"It better or I'm holding you responsible for the dry cleaning bill Commander." sarcastically stated the woman as she glanced at me out of the corner of her vision. "And for the record Shepard." she added "This wasn't one of you brightest ideas"_

_"I second that." crowed Vakarian as the rest of the ground team quickly descended into uncontrollable laughter, at my expense._

_"Can we try and stay focused please?" I muttered in mild embarrassment._

_"Sure Commander." spluttered the teenager as she quickly turned her face away as everyone desperately attempted to control themselves. "Whatever you say." but the merriment couldn't last and with sickening certainty there came the all-too-familiar ping as our steel container came to rest at its intended destination._

_"Stay sharp, I don't want any surprises." I bellowed as mere moments later the doors parted to reveal a deeply disturbing stillness that seemed to hang from the surrounding walls._

_"A backup power system Shepard, it must be for the station's mainframe." stated Tali as we slowly fanned out into the waiting space._

_"Good then maybe we can get some answers." snarled Garrus as he cautiously inspected a nearby air vent. "I'm getting sick of us being the only ones not know what the hell is going on." I had to silently agree with the C-sec officer but at that moment the unmistakable sound of dozens of little feet definitely took precedent as a mini green wave of little body's came surging out of an entranceway set into the far end of the room._

_"Contacts, take 'em out." and with that all hell was let loose as weapons were brought to bear upon the advancing hoard; it didn't take very long._

_"That was rather underwhelming." whispered Alenko as he disgustedly wiped a thick layer of blackish goo from the bottom of his boot._

_"Well just wait until their bigger brothers get here, then the party really starts." I snorted as I made a beeline towards the adjoining space._

_"Do you think we can get the V.I back online?" Gingerly enquired T'soni as we came to a halt in front of the complex's mainframe._

_"It would make my life a whole lot easier if we could." came my reply as I pulled open an emergency access hatch. "But let's not get our hopes up." fortunately for everyone, including myself the emergency start-up procedure was relatively straightforward to comprehend and within a few minutes there came the satisfying rumble of the main tower coming online._

* * *

><p><em>Unfortunately as with everything else on this godforsaken undertaking it was never that simple, as we quickly found ourselves being directed from one place to the other as the installations frustratingly polite V.I ordered us around as it desperately attempted to return everything within the facility to standard levels of operational efficiency.<em>

_"I'm really starting to hate that thing." grumbled Tali as we all hastily bundled into the waiting tramcar. "I swear it's sentient. It's sentient and fucking with us for laughs." I slowly pulled the sunglass from my weary eyes before replying._

_"After the day we've been having nothing would surprise me." and it was true, from bizarre alien life forms to enraged synthetic organisms we'd killed them all and it wasn't even lunchtime yet._

_"We are nearing my mother's location, aren't we Commander." quietly whispered the doctor as she gazed mournfully out of nearby window in silent contemplation._

_"Seems like it." I muttered as I slowly turned to look further down the tracks, lost in the memories of things long since passed. "Not long now"_

_"Will she surrender Shepard?" the question hung for a half a moment, heavy and foreboding as my mind wearily weighed up the options._

_"I can honestly say that I would love nothing more Liara. But my gut tells me it's going to end in badly." the reply was met with sad acceptance from the asari as she allowed a moment of weakness to play across her features. "If the testimony of that disciple on Feros is reliable than it would suggests that the matriarch is no longer the same person we once knew and as such is unlikely to act rationally under the given circumstances of our arrival." the surrounding air turned cold as the sickening realization slowly bite home into the two of us; that no matter what happened next our lives were going to be irreversibly changed by what was going to happen in the next few hours._

_"We're closing in on the railway terminal Commander." stated Vakarian as he fixed his attention on a small dote further along the line._

_"Everyone get ready!" I bellowed as my hand quickly finished its checks on the lethal weapon. "Don't expect a warm welcome!" and we didn't get one either, we didn't get anything, for as we came storming out of the confined space we were met with the almost underwhelming atmosphere of a clean and tidy arrival point._

_"I don't know what's worse, the quietness or that horrible music." muttered Garrus as he slow cast his gaze out over the surrounding area._

_"I have to agree with you there." whispered Tali as she stepped out onto the empty platform, weapon at the ready. "I really don't like this tune."_

_"Yet like every other annoying song it's everywhere, now shut up." I quietly chided as we slowly spread out over the terminal floor. "I don't want to get taken by surprise because the two of you were discussing your taste in music." the pair hastily spluttered out their apologies but the effort was quickly pushed to one side as the unmistakable chatter of automatics came seeping in through a nearby bulkhead._

_"Friendlies Commander?" Enquired Alenko as he shot a questioning expression my way._

_"It would be a pleasant change." I muttered as we made a hasty advanced towards the source of the conflict. "I'm getting rather sick of doing this all by ourselves" but the contemplation was quickly forgotten as withering rifle fire came hurtling down range towards us as we came dashing around a narrow corner._

_"Hold your fire, hold your fire goddammit!" bellowed an unseen observer as we flung ourselves bodily to the floor as the blistering rounds thundered overhead. "Their friendlies!"_

_"You don't say!" I roared back as I help the members of my team to their feet. "Because I just happen to look exactly like seven hundred pound bloodthirsty fucking shrimp." the officer in charge of defence took a hasty step back as I advanced upon his position._

_"My apologies Sir, we weren't expecting your sudden arrival, we assumed that you might be more of those things" the man emphasized the last word with obvious disgust. "coming from another part of the facility" I raised an eyebrow in sceptical cynicism._

_"So these things can operate tram cars then I take it." the man's face turn white at the comment._

_"God I hope not." he whispered._

_"Then why the hell did you think we were them then!" I retorted heatedly as we were quickly waved through the hasty checkpoint. "God damn it, if any of my team are injured I'm going to hang you from the bloody ceiling, am I clear?" it wasn't a question but the angry tête-à-tête was quickly brought to a crashing halt as the all too familiar screeching shriek filled the air._

_"Here they come!" shouted a terrified watchman as sections of flooring erupted into a sea of armoured carapace._

_"Time to move people!" I bellowed as I slammed a fist into a nearby door release; understandably this wasn't all that well-received by the man in charge as he hastily torn his gaze away from the approaching swarm._

_"Were the hell do you think you're going!" screamed the guard as he watched us beat a rapid retreat through the waiting access hatch._

_"It's your job not mine, deal with it." came my stone cold response as the door slammed shut with a solid thud. "What?" I demanded moments later as I caught sight of the disapproving looks that certain sections of my ground team wore upon their faces._

_"Was it really necessary to leave them back there Commander?" stated Alenko as he slowly turned to glance at the sealed bulkhead behind him. "They could have used our help." I let out a small snarl of frustration as I turned on the unhappy officer._

_"Have you forgotten what our mission is lieutenant?" the man took a nervous step away from me as I fixed the rest of my team with an icy expression. "We are here to capture or kill Matriarch Benezia; nothing else matters do you all understand that?" the forceful statement was meet with quiet whispers of acceptance from certain souls as they fell back into line. "Good lets go." I muttered as my heads up display picked up the tell-tale sound of hastening footfalls from somewhere deeper inside the facility. "Before they figure out why we're here." that seemed to hit a nerve with everyone as the steely look of professionalism descended once more upon the little group._

_"Do you think they'll try and stop us Shepard?" enquired Tali._

_"I wouldn't put it past them, Saren after all is a major stakeholder in Binary Helix so they're going to have a vested interest in keeping us out." the statement was meet with gritted acknowledgement from the rest of the squad._

_"So we can expect a gunfight with security before we even get close to Liara's mother or her bodyguards." muttered Garrus as he calmly checked the heat vent on his rifle. "This day just keeps getting better and better"_

_"Stay focused." I snapped as I picked up the sound of movement from the next room. "It might not come to that so don't do anything stupid." I really should have listened to my own advice because the moment we stepped out into the makeshift refuge I got the distinct feeling that every single person with a gun was watching us uneasily as we made our way across the open space._

_"Commander." Vakarian's voice echoed out of my ear peace as our little troupe continued on its merry way._

_"What is it?" I muttered as I caught sight of reinforcements slowly trickling into the room._

_"You see that asari on the left, the one by the railing and crates?" I tilted my head ever so slightly to catch site of the woman in question._

_"I see her." the turian let out a soft rumble that transmitted of the com-link._

_"Well she's been eyeballing us since the moment we entered the room" the comment was only reinforced by the sudden intake of breath as Liara caught sight of the frustrated figure out at the corner of her vision._

_"You know her?" my question was met with only a silent nodded of acknowledgement. "Was she one of your mother's acolytes?"_

_"Yes I remember seeing her a few times back on Thessia when I was younger." a sad expression flashed across the good doctor's face as she said this. "It feels like a lifetime ago now."_

_"You're not the only one" I stated unhappily. "But the mission comes first so stay focused" the last half the sentence was accompanied by the tell-tale sound of my guns safety switching off; it's surprising how much can change in mere moments, one second everything is fine and dandy, the next you find yourself point a gun at some scientists face, life's funny like that. "No one fucking move!" the demanded echoed out over the shocked silence as I grabbed hold of the stunned asari by the throat. "You," I jabbed the weapon at a terrified salarian huddling in a corner. "Open the hot labs, I won't ask twice!" the request was dutifully obeyed but rather unfortunately for everyone the only thing that awaited us was a solid wall of security personnel on the other side; the world stuttered to a standstill as time slowed, sound fade and the only thing left was the burning hot anticipation rampaging through my brain as there came the familiar feeling from the weapon as it powered on._

* * *

><p>Reality came crashing down, angrily dragging me from myself imposed reflection as a ruined corpse came tumbling over the railing above me, it hit the ground nearby sending brain and bone matter spelling out in all directions; a large proportion of which seemed to find their way onto to me judging by the smell but the unpleasant realization was harshly pushed to one side as there came the unmistakable outline of Vakarian looming over me.<p>

"We need to go Commander!" snapped the turian as he franticly dragged me upwards once more. "We can't stay here!" I wiped purple gore from my face as I quickly took stock of the situation, the rest of my team were currently engaged in a ferocious fire fight with what was left of the onsite security, but what was more worry some was the unwanted commotion coming from behind the sealed access hatch directly behind us "We've got about five minutes before they're all over us, I want to be long gone by then do you hear me Alenko?"

"Loud and clear Commander!" shouted the alliance officer as he caught sight of me slipping into cover nearby. "But how do we go about it exactly?" it was a fair question because of that exact moment the only way out of our predicament lay in the form of the security door that led deeper into the facility, unfortunately for everyone it was still being heavily guarded by a few die hard company loyalists, who didn't have the common sense of knowing when to quit.

"I don't get paid enough for this." I bellowed as I put a round through an unlucky assailant's frontal lobe.

"At least you get paid" Muttered Garrus as he calmly slammed home as shot seconds later. "I've been on unpaid sick leave ever since I signed up for this little endeavor"

"Think of it a practical work experience." I replied as I caught sight of Liara charging up Her biotics out of the corner of my eye. "I hope you know what you're doing T'soni."

"So do I Shepard." Whispered the girl from in-between clenched teeth as a split-second later there came a surging pulse of pressure as a blinding wall of energy tour free from the asari's slender arms; it hit like a rampaging fire truck sending broken and bruised bodies somersaulting throughout the now space as the wave slammed home into the opposite end of the corridor.

"Go, go, go!" I roared as I grabbed hold of the moment with adrenaline fuelled efficiency; the next few second past in a blurred haze as the team made a mad dash towards the waiting exit, what was left of the opposition quickly collapsed away as I cut a bloody path through their lines.

It was only after, when we'd all scrambled to safety with the relative confines of the adjoining room that I allowed myself the briefest of moments to catch my breath and to reassess the situation; all of my team including without question myself had been hurt to some degree during this ongoing operation, I still fully believed that we could complete the primary objective laid out before us, but all the while I couldn't help but feel that there was something deeply amiss with this entire undertaking; but before I could contemplate any further there came an all too familiar pinging from within my earpiece as Vakarian's predatory grumbling came echoing out over the airwaves.

"I think you're going to want to see this Commander." muttered the unhappy alien, who had wandered on ahead.

"What is it?" I curtly enquired as the figure's unmistakable outline homed into view as I rounded the next corner, but the question went unanswered as C-sec officer tossed a flickering data pad to me.

"I found it on his corpse." stated the turian as he knelt down beside what was left of a company scientist. "From the looks of it some of those things got in here at the start of the outbreak."

"The question is; are they still here?" I absent mindedly replied as my attention was pulled away by a single band of text that flittered across the screen in front of me.

"I wouldn't bet on it, not if the matriarch's been through here." came the response, but by this point I wasn't really paying any attention to my surroundings as the data just seemed to stream right off the page.

"Have you read this?" I whispered as I pulled myself away from the unpleasant revelation to steer at the now silent figure in front of me.

"I have." replied the individual as he fixed me with an unhappy expression. "Do you want the others to know?" I let out a deep sigh.

"I don't get paid enough to do this shit." but none the less I quickly backtracked back down the corridor to were the rest of the team where waiting.

"Something's wrong, what is it?" Spluttered Tali as she caught sight of the hard expression on my face.

"Don't ask." muttered Garrus as I warily gathered everyone around me once more.

"I've got some good news and I've some bad news, so listen up I won't say this twice." I paused briefly to make sure that I had everyone's undivided attention before continuing.

"Good news is we found out what these things attacking us are." I held up the damage data pad as proof. "Bad news is their rachni." rather understandably this caused my assembled subordinates to erupt into veritable sea of deafening questions as each one in turn tried to make sense of the situation.

"But the rachni have been dead for centuries." stammered Liara in bemused disbelief as she looked around in confusion.

"And when has that stopped anyone." retorted Vakarian bitterly as he lent against a nearby wall. "As if dealing with Matriarch Benezia wasn't bad enough."

"At least we know why Saren sent her here." countered Tali as she glanced up towards me.

"That's a good thing right?"

"She's right Garrus, at least we have an idea of what's going on now, rather than running around with our heads up our asses like we have been since we got here." the turian let out a low rumble as he heard the remark.

"It still doesn't change anything Shepard." he added

"No it doesn't." I forcefully replied. "The mission comes first, we can't allow Benezia to escape from this frozen rock, so stay focused and do what I tell you to, are we clear?" it wasn't a question and everyone knew it. "Good, let's go."

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you all like the new chapter, I know its a little short but I really wanted to get something out as quickly as possible. <strong>

**Please leave comments and review they are really helpful. **

**Gods-own**


	20. Chapter 20: The long goodbye

**sorry for the long wait folks work sort of moved to central stage.**

**I will try to up date more often but I can't promise anything.**

**thank you all for reading this.**

**Sincerely Gods-own.**

Chapter 20: The long goodbye.

The darkness was quiet and constant; a numbing color that hung over the surrounding scenery, it would be rather pleasant if it didn't contain a hundred and one different ways to die screaming (I had to hate my subconscious right about now for reminding me of that).

"I've got movement across the board." muttered Alenko as we inched our way down a narrow corridor. "Two hundred meters and closing."

"Bugs?" enquired Vakarian as he brought his weapon up to bear.

"Not unless they started wearing combat boots." I snarled as the unmistakable sound of stampeding feet calmly indicated, unfortunately they didn't just stay echo's for long as slender outlines came into view.

"Commandos!" roared the turian as he throw himself behind cover and not a moment too soon as the surrounding air seemed to ignite all around use as I felt a telltale thud of a large caliber round slamming into me, my shields flaring as it stopped the round.

"Shepard!" screamed Tali as she caught site of me being sent tumbling backwards under the force of the impact.

"I'm fine" I hastily barked as I rolled franticly behind a nearby cooling duct. "Worry about yourselves!" it was good advice as a ball of blinding biotic energy slammed into the back of the teenager's shrouded head sending the unfortunate girl slamming into the waiting floor.

"Tali!" at the back of my mind I felt the all a tingle of fear as the lifeless form was unceremoniously dragged to safety by her concerned crewmates. "Is she still alive?" I asked between the cracks of gunfire.

"I think so." replied Liara hesitantly as she ran her omni-tool over the prone figure. "She's out cold at the moment but her vital signs look stable." It was good enough for me as I turned my attention back towards the waiting opponents huddling at one end of the passageway; it didn't bode well for them as I felt the anger welling up from somewhere deep inside as if egged on by the combat stimulants; it took everyone else by surprise I'll tell you that much as one moment I was blaring away with my hand cannon at the entrenched assailants, the next I was flinging myself out from cover and rushing head long towards the enemy position.

"This ends now!" I snarled loudly as the first few asari rose to meet me, they really shouldn't have bothered as the nearest attacker painfully realised as I brought a blade around in a vicious downward slice that cut cleanly through helmet brain and bone with sickening results, it didn't seem to have much of an impact on the twitching corpse's comrades however as one of them attempted to smash me in the face with the butt of her rifle, it didn't go the way the commando had intended as I countered the blow before planting my right arm blade up to the hilt in her abdominal cavity. "God you stink." I spat as moments later someone planted a brutal kick to the side of my head, which rather understandably broke my train of thought as well as giving me a rather withering headache. "Just die already!" but the fiery woman seemed to have other ideas as she followed up her beat down with a well-placed biotic hook that nipped in under my guard and re-broke a few of my ribs for me.

"You first." hissed the asari as she pulled a nasty looking combat knife from an armpit sheath. "I'm going to gut you like a dying varren." the commando grinned "Any last words?"

"Yeah, you talk too much" but the comment was lost on her as Garrus's round hit home, sending bloody bits splattering all over the surrounding landscape.

"Not bad if I do say so myself." crowed the C-sec officer from behind his hidey-hole.

"Not the time Vakarian." I tersely replied as I decapitated a would-be attacker who had rushed me from behind. "I'm a bit busy." but no one seemed to mind as one of the attackers desperately throw a biotic punch at my throat, which only resulted in me stabbing her in the face for her trouble, it wasn't a pleasant death, they never were but this one was particularly unpleasant as the poor soul's body thrashed around uncontrollably until I did the decent thing and pulled the gore slick blade from the dead woman's ruined features.

"That's rather disturbing Commander." whispered Doctor T'soni as she court site of my arms, painted purple up to the elbow.

"Murder isn't supposed to be pleasant Doctor." I indicated the floored alien. "How is she?" the doctor let out a small grin as an all too familiar voice echoed up from the floor below.

"Like I've been sat on by an overweight krogan you bosh'tet" muttered the teenager as I helped her to her feet. "But thanks for asking." it was at that point however that the friendly banter end sharply as I court the girl's sharp intake of breath as I turned to walk away.

"Keelah Shepard your head!" I gave her a questioning look.

"What is it?" but the question went unanswered as the young quarian hurriedly pushed something that looked like cotton wool to the side of my head.

"I need medi-gel, I need right now!"

"I'm fine, what are you going on about?" I muttered as I went to bat her hand away, a move that was stubbornly resisted by the unhappy figure in front of me.

"You're not fine!" snapped the woman as she hurriedly showed me the improvised bandage, now soaked a wet crimson. "Would you call this fine?"

"I've had worse." not the smartest comment I'd ever made and one I was rapidly regretting judging by the blazing scowl that was emanating out from behind the tinted mask.

"Shut up and sit down." ordered Tali as she jabbed a finger at a nearby crate. "Right now!" I didn't dare disobey. "Liara can you hold on to this while I take a look?" the instruction was unquestioningly carried out and with within a short amount of time I quickly found myself being unceremoniously examined by the young engineer.

"I keep telling you I'm fi- ow son of a bitch." but the sentence went unfinished as a stabbing pain throbbed throughout my skull.

"Keep still, you'll only make it worse." demanded the teenager as she hastily wiped her hands clean. "It's a real mess so I'm going to have to suture it if we want to stop the bleeding any time soon"

"Then get to it." I grumbled as I glanced over towards the rest of my team. "Alenko you have medic training right?"

"Only what they taught us back at the academy sir, I haven't used it in quite some time" I jabbed a thumb at my weeping wound as I counter the comment.

"Just get to it already, we don't have all day." the man wasn't kidding about his lack of practice as more than once I found myself cursing out loud at the rough treatment dealt out to me.

"Oh stop being such a big baby" stated Tali as she finished up on what I'd hoped were the last few stitches. "I've seen you get stabbed and not make so much as a squeak; don't tell me you're going soft Commander?"

"Watch your tone Miss Zorah." I coldly snarled as my pride made a renewed reappearance. "If it were anyone else I'd have snapped their neck by now" the girl just let out a snorting laugh as I surged back to my feet.

"Good thing I'm me then." came the sarcastic reply as the young woman stepped to one side to let me pass. "It would be boring around here if I weren't."

"I'll second that." chuckled Garrus as one by one the rest of the ground team fell in behind me as we made our way past the dripping carnage and deeper into the frozen facility.

* * *

><p>"You do not know the privilege of being a mother Commander, there is power in creation, to shape a life, to turn it towards happiness or despair." the matriarch's voice coldly stated over the cavernous space as we hurriedly darted into position. "Her children where to be ours, raised to hunt and slay Saren's enemies." the "Her" in the statement wasn't hard to spot as the lumbering form that dominated the room clearly pointed out.<p>

"I take that's the thing pumping out all the bugs?" Muttered Vakarian as he moved his attention from the matriarch to the rachni sitting in the glass containment cage.

"Probably" my eyes stayed fixed on the lone figure in front of me as I continued talking. "Think you can get a shot at it from here?" the turian shook his head in response.

"Not from this angle. Besides that glass is rated to withstand anything but an orbital strike from a cruiser." but our conversation was cut short as the elder asari spoke once more.

"I won't be moved by sympathy, no matter who you bring into this confrontation Shepard." I felt something die inside as she said my name and for the first time in a long time I lost control.

"Are you even listening to what your say anymore Bez?" I roared as I came storming out of cover. "No one wants be here, not your daughter and especially not me!" the woman raised an eyebrow in that oh so elegant way of hers before turning her attention towards the good doctor who was now standing, trembling ever so slightly, beside me.

"Indeed?" mused the woman as she fixed her kin with a scornful steer. "What have you told him about me Liara?"

"What could I say mother?" demanded the distraught daughter as she casted a hand around the empty space, tears, hot and heavy pouring down her face. "That you're insane, evil, should I have explain how to kill you; what could I say?" but the pleading question went unanswered as the matriarch turned her attention towards me.

"Have you ever faced an asari commando unit before?" she allowed a small smirk to spread across her features. "Few humans have." my temper flared at her tone.

"You know full well that I have!" I snapped as I took a step towards the looming figure in front of me. "We fought them together on Thessia Bez, for gods sake can't you remember even that?" the words hit home, I could see something, something fighting behind those beautiful steel blue eyes of hers, but almost as soon as it had appeared it was gone once more.

"Your insolence is a poor mask for your fear Commander." snarled the asari as I felt the unmistakable aura of biotic energy building all around us.

"Please don't make me do this." I quietly pleaded, but the request fell on deaf ears as the uncaring soul in front of me let out a disgusted snort in response.

"Whatever feelings I once had for you died for the sake of Saren's cause" Her biotics flared a bright blue as she said this. "As will you!"

* * *

><p>"Commander!" Alenko's frantic cry dragged me forcefully out of my recollection as he came crashing down beside me into cover. "Sir!"<p>

"What?" I angrily snapped as a second detonation rocked our little bolt hole.

"I've be shouting at you for the last half a minute, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, I was just trying to think." I muttered as I mentally cursed myself for my own weakness, it wasn't the time nor the place to get lost in memories of the past.

"A little less thinking and a bit more doing would be really nice right about now." shouted Garrus as he fired his assault rifle.

"Do I look like I'm in the mood for your wise cracks Vakarian?" I coldly snapped as my attention quickly drawn towards second group of assailants who were already sprinting into the narrow network of catwalks and storage platforms.

"You're never in the mood for his humor as far as I can tell." stated Tali as she butted in on the conversation.

"Not the time Tali." I remember Alenko muttering on the edge of my hearing as I plastered the brains of one unfortunate commando all over the face of another.

"I would have to agree." commented Liara in a critical tone. "I don't think it's really the time for jokes." everyone fell silent after that with only the roar of our weapons and the cries of the dying to fill the air; but this couldn't last as with every passing moment I could tell the doctor T'soni was becoming more and more concerned with the unfolding situation in front of us and to tell you the truth so was I.

"Damn it, this is taking too long" I glanced over towards Benezia just in time to see her hurl yet another glowing projectile our way. "Incoming!" the warning came not a moment too soon as the blue ball tore through the heavy duty crates as if they were made of tissue paper.

"Spirits that was to close." growled the turian as he blew apart a geth darting in-between fire points. "We've got to do something about this bitch before she turns us all into bloody puddles on the floor."

"That's my mother you're talking about!" snarled Liara venomously as she rounded on her teammate.

"Well excuse me for feeling just a bit hostile at the asari whose sending waves of commandos and geth at us." retorted the C-sec officer coldly as he lent away from incoming fire.

"I'll remind you of that when it's your mother on the other end of the gun Vakarian." I countered evenly, understandably the remark didn't go down to well with the turian member of my crew considering he fired a shot at me that grazed my ear, but I continued on none the less with the flow of the conversation. "But at the same time doctor, Garrus has a point; we'll have to deal with Benezia soon." I fixed the young woman with as hard an expression as I could manage under the given circumstance. "The mission comes first."

"I know that Commander, it's just..."

"That she's your mother" I added evenly "She's my friend to you know, don't you think I wanted this to work out differently?" something was brewing inside me as I continued the conversion, towards a dark and depressing conclusion. "But sometimes doing what is necessary for the sake of the mission means sacrificing things we care about for the common good." the words hung there like lead in my mouth, a numbing weight that I was unable to move. "And that's a decision that I'll have to live with til I go to my grave." I quietly turned to look up at the distant figure enveloped in a blue haze. "But I'll make that decision none the less, when the time comes"

"I understand Shepard" softly replied Liara. "It's something that I'll have to live with as well" the depressing atmosphere was cautiously cut through by the polite little cough that echoed out from over my right shoulder.

"What is it Lieutenant?" The man behind me shifted uneasily on his feet as I brought my full attention to bear upon him. "What do you want?"

"I believe I've spotted a weakness in the matriarch defenses." stuttered the man as he felt my gaze drilling holes in through to the back of his head.

"You have ten seconds." I barked as I caught sight of fresh reinforcements funneling into the room. "It better be good" the alliance officer was sweating buckets by now as he kept turning to look up at the target above them.

"The matriarch is throwing out biotic attacks left and right. I know she's a matriarch but even an asari has to get worn out sometime. I think if we wait her out until she's exhausted we could rush her and end this." I raised an eyebrow in questioning response.

"It's a hell of a risk Lieutenant, are you sure that she'll go down?" Kaidan nodded fervently as he continued his explanation.

"I'm certain that if you can get in close, you'll be able to take her out." we all ducked as a barrage of gunfire came hurtling downrange into our opposition. "You just have to look at the matriarch to tell that she's struggling." I would never admit it but the lieutenant was right, with every passing attack Benezia's normally controlled features were becoming more and more strained.

"It's worth a shot" I muttered, glancing towards the rest of my ground team, who were already waiting for instructions. "Garrus, Tali keep the reinforcements pinned for as long as you can" I turned to look at the other members of my squad. "Liara, Alenko, I'm going to need biotic support straight off the bat otherwise I'm going to end up dead, so don't mess up!" the last few words were delivered with such force that I could hear the pair's spines stand straighter if that was at all possible. "Do you understand me?" it wasn't a question.

"We understand sir!" barked the assembled subordinates as they fell into their allotted roles.

"Ready whenever you are Commander." stated Kaidan as he let an impressive amount of biotic energy built up around him.

"As am I" added Liara, a note of determination clearly visible behind her emotional tone.

"On my mark" I calmly instructed as the tech experts in my team began laying down a withering suppression on the encroaching enemy. "Mark!" the air around me ignited into a blinding blue haze as the specialists' brought up their biotic shields at the same time, I was going to need it as the distant figure turned glare at me from across the cavernous space.

"You will die here Shepard, I swear it in Saren's name!" snarled Benezia as she caught sight of me barreling towards her.

"Then give it your best shot T'soni!" I countered as I watch my shields being ripped away with every meter of ground I gained. "Because you won't get a second chance" it probably wasn't the smartest decision to taunt the enraged biotic and it was quickly proved to be correct as a massive pulse came smashing towards me, the force of the impact almost ripped me from my feet and it took all my enhanced strength just to stay up right.

"Whatever you're going to do Commander, do it fast!" shouted Garrus's voice over the com link. "We can't hold forever."

"I know" I snapped forcefully as I stormed towards my intended target. But my admittedly badass assault was brought to a crashing halt as I threw myself bodily into hand-to-hand with the breathless matriarch; the world slurred as the potent combat cocktail worked its way into my system, it didn't help one bit unfortunately, as I took a withering blow to the side of my head that sent me reeling backwards, blood gushing in crimson streams from my head.

"What's wrong Shepard?" Sneered the elder asari as she threw a vicious biotic punch straight towards my unguarded face. "Is this all you have?" the strike was barely avoided as I lashed out with a weak counter that barely tagged the woman's right cheek, but it was enough to break her much-needed concentration, so that the only thing that hit home was a clenched fist, it hurt, a lot, but it hurt a lot less than having your head turned to pulp by biotic power.

"I don't remember your punches being this weak Bez." I said evenly as I ducked under a roundhouse kick. "What's wrong, getting sluggish in your old age?" I hated taunting her, it tore me up inside, but with every passing attack I was becoming more determined to end the fight a quickly as possible.

"I will never be beaten by the likes of you!" Growled Benezia heatedly as she darted in under my guard, before landing a punishing body blow into my mid-section that ripped the air from my lungs; fortunately for me at any rate the enraged the asari's assault was brought to a shuddering halt as a well-placed sniper round nipped in under the radar sending the matriarch stumbling backwards in shocked surprise, giving me time to catch my breath and regain my footing.

"You're not looking so good Bez do you want to take a break, maybe get a glass of water?" it wasn't even a taunt any more, I was becoming genuinely concerned about my old friend's condition as with every passing minute Benezia's normally beautiful curved features was becoming more and more strained, as fatigue set in.

"I'll _will_ destroy you!" spat the woman as she let fly with yet another biotic punch, but this time I was expecting it and countered by stepping in to deliver a brutal attack into her unguarded side; I picked up the tell-tale sound of cracking ribs as my knee bite home and swiftly took advance of this as I planted a full on head butt into the asari's pain etched features which were quickly drenched lilac as the woman's nose gave way under the force of the blow, quickly soaking the lower half of the matriarchs face in blood.

"Please Bez" I quietly muttered as I rapped a metal hand around my friend's slender neck.

"Please just stop." it wasn't pleasant, it wasn't nice, it was slow and painful as I deliberately strangled the life out of the struggle figure, all the while withstanding the hail of blows being rained down upon me.

"You will not beat me Shepard!" weakly wheezed the voice as I squeezed what little breath remand out of her. "You won't!" but it was hopeless and like a mid-winters morning unconsciousness came rolling in deep, darkening waves until the only thing left was the solitary sound of the my heart breaking under the silent strain.

"Commander, Commander are you alright?" Alenko's voice came hammering down as I wearily dragged myself upright once more.

"Shepard?" the voice this time was different; a soft concerned tone that forced me from myself imposed purgatory.

"I'm fine Tali, just catching my breath." it was a lie, but no one dared question it as I glanced back down at the unfortunate individual beneath me.

"She's still alive Commander." stated Kaidan evenly as he ran his omni-tool over the unconscious asari.

"She better be" I responded as I wiped blood from my eyes. "I want to know what Saren is planning and more importantly what this "Conduit" is"

"I've been wondering that myself" muttered Garrus as he glanced over towards me. "Why is Saren going to all the trouble to find this thing, it might not even work, forty odd thousand years is a long time for something just to be left lying around in storage."

"Do we know if it's even a weapon?" Added Alenko. "We're just assuming that it is."

"We'll find out soon enough." replied Vakarian as I caught sight of Liara kneeling down next to her mother.

"She's fine Liara, we won't hurt her as long as she tells us what we need to know" the comment wasn't reassuring, never for her or me, but my silent contemplation was brought crashing down as the newly acquired prisoner let out a weak moan as she dragged herself back into the waking world.

"This is not over, Saren is unstoppable, and my mind is filled with his light; everything is clear."

"And she's still indoctrinated, that just great." muttered the C-sec officer sarcastically as we all carefully watched the matriarch stagger to her feet. "Now what do we do?"

"We could take her back to the Normandy, maybe Doctor Chakwas can help her."

"I think that would be for the best." hastily agreed T'soni as snap off worried looks at her much beloved parent.

"It's too much of a risk to bring her on board" Alenko countered. "We don't know how this indoctrination is transmitted and I for one could do without being murdered in my sleep by brain washed crewmates."

"For once Alenko, we agree." I muttered as I glanced towards Benezia. "But we might have to take that risk." our eyes meet and for the briefest of moments I could have sworn that I was steering at my old friend once more, but it was go replaced by that twisted pale scowl that seem to dominated the woman's face.

"I will not betray him, you will... you" but with every passing word waves of confused delirium seemed to wash over the elder asari as she toppled forwards towards me, it was only by the grace of god that I was able to catch her in time.

"I got you Bez, I got you." it took me half a second to notice just how scrawny my friend had become, she had always been slender but now I could definitely feel the lack of muscle around the bone.

"What took you so long?" whispered the faltering figure weakly.

"Heh, well I was never one for punctuality." came my sad reply as I cradled the woman in my arms, but the moment couldn't last as I sure the look of desperation dart across her features.

"You must listen" pleaded the matriarch as her daughter quickly made a bee line towards her. "Saren still whispers in my mind, I can fight his compulsions briefly, but the indoctrination is strong" I couldn't help but chuckle as I heard this.

"You were always a stubborn bitch Bez, nice to see that part of you hasn't changed" I was rewarded with a wry smile that spread across her face as she heard this.

"I thought you knew me better than that Todd." sarcastically commented the woman as for the briefest of seconds it was like stepping back in time to those hectic days we spent together on Thessia, but it couldn't last and we both knew it.

"What are you doing here on Noveria Benezia, it can't just be about the rachni, what's going on?" she looked at me sadly for a long moment as if severing then emotional contact as if it were going to be her last.

"Saren sent me here to find the location of the Mu Relay, the exact position was lost thousands of years ago."

"Do you have any knowledge about this Mu Relay Liara?" the doctor to her credit relied magnificently to the task at hand as she hastily jogged the vast depths of her memory.

"It was supposed to be lost at the end of the Krogan rebellion, I don't know what Saren could possibly want with it"

"I'll take a wild guess and say it'll lead us to the Conduit." stated Garrus irritably as he checked a wound from a round that had pierced a plate on his armor.

"That's what I was thinking" replied Liara as she turned back towards her mother. "But Knowing the relays coordinates is not enough, do you know where he planned to go from there mother?" Benezia shook her head in regret.

"Saren wouldn't tell me his destination, but you must find out quickly, I transmitted the coordinates to him before you arrived" she fixed me with a sad smile. "Sorry"

"It's alright Bez, there's nothing you need to be sorry about" the matriarch hastily pulled an OSD out from a hidden pocked with a shake hand as I was saying this.

"I transcribed the information onto this storage device, please take it" I accepted it with a knowing nodded.

"Thanks Bez, but I think the rest of the debriefing can wait until we get you back to the Normandy, I want..." but the last of the sentence was cut short as the look of unimaginable pain tore through the woman in front of me, forcing her to grasp desperately to my shoulder for strength.

"Mother what's wrong?" spluttered Liara nervously as she took a step towards the two of us.

"Stay exactly where you are Matriarch" I snapped as I caught site of the distant expression that was overcome my friends features. "Garrus keep her back." the turian obeyed instinctively as he placed himself in-between us and her.

"You have to stop...me" suddenly stammered the faltering asari as she clung desperately to me. "I can't... his teeth are at my ear, fingers on my spine." I could see the beads of sweat peeling of her face with the strain. "You should, you should" but another wave of pain washed over her and she grumbled into a whimpering heap in my arms.

"Mother please don't leave, fight him!" pleaded the young woman franticly as she watched the person she cared the most about in the hole of creation slip away one second at a time.

"You've always made me proud little wing." whispered Benezia as she smiled one last time at her daughter. "Never forget that" and all of a sudden it was just us, no lab, no noise, no wailing offspring, no uncertain subordinates, just the two of us as it was always meant to be. "Please don't let him get me Todd." I looked into those beautiful blue eyes that were now pleadingly with me to do the unthinkable.

"Please" I weakly whispered as she ran a hand reassuringly down one side of my face "Please don't." but this time I got the feeling that I wasn't going to be able to talk my way out of this as the woman grinned sadly at the prospect.

"Please Todd, please." it was hopeless and with a sinking certainly I gave into her soul shattering request.

"Okay." I weakly whispered as I carefully adjusted my hand hold around her waist. "Just give me a moment" she gave me a reassuring smile as I slowly let one of my arm blades slip out.

"It'll be alright Todd, it'll be alright." she whispered as she continued to gently stroke my pain wrecked face with a free hand.

"Close your eyes Bez, you won't feel a thing." but ever the stubborn soul the woman refused to brake eye contact with me.

"No matter what happens" stated Benezia firmly as I slowly planted a tender kiss on my lips. "I have and will always love you my watchful fox."

"You stole the words right out of my mouth." I weakly whispered as I looked into the face of the only woman that I would probably ever truly love. "Just like always." she didn't even feel the blade slipped in-between her third and fourth rib; I felt her go limp in my arms as the thrust bit home.

"No light, they always said there would be a..." but she never got to finish the sentence as time quickly drifted away until the only thing left to show of the woman that I'd loved was my blood soaked hands and the lifeless form held tightly in an final embrace; that's how it should have been, but causality was never that kind.

"Commander, Commander are you alright?"

"Shepard?" I turned around slowly to see Tali along with everyone else looking at me, masks of genuine concern plastered across their faces. "What..." but the question faded away as I gently lowered the gore soaked body down onto unfeeling ground.

"Were any of you hurt?" My enquiry was met with a hasty denial from the subordinates as I cast a calculating glance over them. "Tali, Liara you alright?"

"We're fine Shepard." enquired the female quarian as she slowly moved next to me. "What about you?"

"Ask me after I'm drunk, should have an answer by then." I muttered as I detected movement from somewhere behind me. "Right now I've got other things to think about" fortunately it seemed that the problem had already been taken care of as clearly indicated by the gushing hole in the commando's chest.

"I'm pretty sure I shot her just now." stated the turian uneasily as he aimed his weapon at the woman's unmoving face. "But I get the feeling that isn't really the issue here."

"You know something Garrus, for once I think you're right" Vakarian grinned.

"Can't be wrong every time Commander." but the humor quickly abated as some voice, old as stone and not entirely human voice came echoing out of the corpse's blood filled mouth.

"This one serves as our voice, we cannot sing; not in these low spaces, your music is colorless." I gave Liara a questioning look but she could only give me a bemused expression in response.

"Who am I speaking to exactly?" the thing in front of us staggered to one side just in time for me to see the looming form of what I assumed was the rachni queen turn to fixed the group with an uncomfortable stare.

"Ok, is it just me or is that just a little bit creepy." whispered Alenko as he took a step back away from the shambling cadaver.

"Tell me about it" retorted the C-sec office as he shifted unease from one booted foot to another.

"We are the mother; we sing for those left behind, children you thought silenced." I let out a tired sigh of frustrated.

"Make your point, I'm not in the mood to talk to bugs." the life form paused for have a second as if choosing its next few words carefully.

"The children we birthed were stolen from us, before they could learn to sing; they are lost to silence." the creature pulled itself up right. "End their suffering, they can't be saved; they will only cause harm as they are."

"Fine, that's all I ever seemed to do nowadays anyway, cleaning up other peoples shit." I ran a cold hand over my face in silent contemplation "Was there anything else?" it seemed like a long time before the queen spoke again

"Before you deal with the children, we stand before you; what will you sing, will you release us or are we to fade away once more?" I remembered hearing the question, feeling the weight of it pressing down, I can even remember the angry debate that it ignited amongst my subordinates; but the thing, the thing that stuck with me the most was a quiet voice, a voice from long ago that whispered in my ear as I glanced down at my bloodied hands.

"I'm not going to kill you." I whispered. "I've shed my quota of blood today." I turned to look down at the body of my dear friend. "I don't intend to add to it."

"I don't think the council is going to like that Commander." stammered Alenko as he nervously butted into the conversation.

"I don't give a damn what the council thinks lieutenant, I've just killed one of my closet friends all for the sake of the mission, I'm not going to insult her memory by committing genocide!" I glared burning hot coals at the man. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal Sir!" barked the marine as he snapped to attention in front of me.

"Tali" my voice slipped back in to a silent tone. "I'm leaving you in charge of letting the queen out." I turned to the rest of the team. "The rest of you, I want this whole facility rigged to blow in five minutes." the order caused a ripple of uncertainty that was pretty hard to ignore"

"But Commander what about the civilians-" but I cut him off before he could complete the sentence.

"They made their beds Alenko, now let them burn with it, do you understand!"

"I understand Commander." Alenko said with a sigh.

"Good then get to work" I didn't bother wait for the reply, I had a something far more important to take care of; Liara was still there, still standing watch over her mother, it was a sight I knew that would haunt me for the rest of my days.

"What now Shepard?" whispered the young asari as she turn to steer at me with tear stained eyes.

"We take her home."

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you all for reading this work, please leave a comment or review.<strong>

**Sincerely Gods-own.**


	21. Chapter 21: Dreams of different times

**Sorry for the long wait folks, its been hard due too the work load,but here is the next chapter.**

**Hope you all like it and a big shout out to my proofreader for the years they been working with me.**

**Read and please review, I really like to get feed back.**

** Gods-own**

Chapter 21: Dreams of different times

The ride back towards Port Hanshan was a painfully quiet affair, with only the rumbling detonations in the distance to break the uncomfortable silence.

"I don't think I've ever seen scientists run so fast in my life" uneasily chuckled Garrus as he attempted to brake the atmosphere from over the drivers com-link.

"True and it was rather nice that the Commander gave them a warning." added Alenko

"I only think he did that so that the security guards would get out of the way." muttered Tali from where she sat at the over end of the compartment. "It was a miracle that we didn't run into even more resistance on the way to the station"

"Imminent death tends to have that effect on people." I stated bluntly as I carefully shifted the lifeless form in my arms. "I learned that a long time ago"

"We're five minutes out Commander, I'm getting a lot of comm traffic. I don't think they're going to be happy to see us." the turian's tone had a noticeable uncertainty about it.

"If they get in our way shoot them" I coldly ordered, unsurprisingly this didn't go down to well with the rest of the crew.

"You can't be serious!" snapped the quarian. "You can't fire on innocent people!"

"If you've got a better idea then I would love to hear it" I replied flatly as the vehicle came to a shuddering halt.

"We could try, you know just talking to them for a change."

"Gonna have to agree with Tali on that one Commander, diplomacy should be our first option here." stated Alenko as he joined in on the conversation.

"Shut up lieutenant"

"Shutting up sir." He said with a wry smile but even as the man feel silent I felt a small hand gently tug against a ruined coat sleeve.

"What its Liara?" I quietly asked as the reclusive doctor fixed me with a sad steer.

"Please no more killing." she pleaded and for once I had to silently agree with her.

"Alright doctor alright." I whispered as I turned my attention back towards the weightless figure in my arms. "We'll do it Tali's way and I guess Alenko's too." which was rather fortunate because scant moments later the com-link burst into life as Jokers nagging tone came blurring out of the on-board speakers.

"Commander, Commander come in, come on Commander don't leave me hanging here."

"Wouldn't dream of it, what is your status?" the pilot let out a noticeable sigh of relief over the com before answering.

"I don't know what you've done Shepard but the entire ports gone to hell. Security is in a standoff with Wrex and Ashley and few of the other soldiers on board." I caught the uncertain glance that was being exchanged amongst the other members of my ground team.

"Tell them to hold the security back for as long as they can, we're almost there"

"Roger that Commander." cheerfully stated the helmsman as the line went dead.

"Vakarian."

"Yes Commander?"

"We're going in quietly, no fast movements, understand?" the turian let out a soft rumble of acknowledgement as he carefully started the mako back off down the slope towards the waiting garage.

"This will work out Shepard." said the young quarian firmly as we got ourselves ready. "Just you wait and see." I didn't share her enthusiasm.

* * *

><p>"Down, down on the ground right now!" bellowed an unseen voice as we trundled out of the APC.<p>

"I don't want to say I told you so Tali" I stated evenly as a phalanx of security personnel came into view. "But I told you so."

"Not really the time Shepard." muttered the teenager as the rest of the ground team closed in around me.

"I won't say it again!" snarled the security officer "Down on the ground!"

"Sod off!" my remark didn't go down so well and it was only the timely arrival of Captain Matsuo that averted a full blown showdown with the locals.

"Stand down!" barked the female officer as she came storming into the centre of the confrontation. "Who ordered you to be here Sergeant?"

"Administrator Anoleis, ma'am." spluttered the turian as he took a step back away from his superior. "I thought you'd been informed."

"Do I look like I've been informed Sergeant?" snapped the woman as she quickly turned to glare hot coals in my general direction; that's was until she caught sight of the limp figure clasped carefully in my arms. "Is she?" I nodded sadly "I see." the captain fell silent for half a second before slowly standing to one side. "You may pass spectre, I won't stop you, and neither will my men." a murmur of surprised discontent rippled out through the surrounding subordinates as they heard this.

"But what about the administrator ma'am, he isn't going to like this." the captain gave disinterested snort in response.

"Anoleis-san won't have much to say on the matter, I just saw him being dragged from his office by internal affairs agents" yet another ripple of surprise. "You wouldn't happen to have something to do with this would you Commander?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Matsuo-san." I countered as my team stepped past the watching onlookers.

"I'll take your word for it." shouted the Captain after us as the elevator doors pulled shut behind us.

"See, I told you everything would work out." chided Tali from somewhere behind me as the moments quickly ticked by as the elevator spared ever onwards towards our intended destination.

"Makes a nice change." I muttered mere moments before the doors pulled apart. "I was getting rather sick of killing for one day."

"Your not the only one." added the young quarian sadly as we stepped out into the blinding artificial light.

* * *

><p><em>The next hour or so just flew by or so I was told, I don't remember much of it to tell you the truth, partly due to the cocktail of medication that Doctor Chakwas forced into my veins and partly due to the full bottle of whisky that I'd been saving for a rainy day.<em>

_The darkly distorted landscape stretched out from all around as I found myself standing alone once more in amongst a sea of shapes and shadows._

_"Was it worth it?" whispered Benezia in my ear as I slowly turned around to look into a churning storm of faces. "Was my life worth it?" I couldn't bring myself to answer as I felt her hand slowly slip down around my shoulders. "For the sake of the mission." but this self-inflicted torment was quickly interrupted by an all too familiar voice echoed in my head._

_"It's time to wake up Toddy, wake up and smell the ashes."_

_"Wake up"_

"Wake up!"

"Wake up Commander!" reality came hammering back to life as Jokers voice drilled its way into my skull. "Commander wake..."

"This had better be fucking important Flight Lieutenant." I coldly snapped as I dragged my bruised body upright.

"Uh sorry Commander." spluttered the pilot as he quickly regretted his decision. "But the Council is on the comm and their rather adamant about wanting to talk to you." my reply wasn't practically professional nor polite but it seemed to have the desired effect as the line quickly went dead.

"I don't get paid enough for this shit." but still like a dog that always forgets I manhandled myself into my dress uniform before gingerly making my way up towards the conference room, with hindsight I probably shouldn't have bothered getting out of bed.

* * *

><p>"Is this report accurate commander, you found rachni on Noveria?" firmly demanded councilor Tevos as her ghostly apparition flicked into view.<p>

"And then released the queen!" growled the turian representative as he forced his way into the conversation. "Do you have any idea what you've done?" I felt the anger, hot and heavy bubble up once more as memories recently born came flooding back to the fore.

"And what would you have me do, commit genocide on your behalf?" I countered pointedly as I glared at the disembodied politician. "Because that's what it sounds like!" a murmur of disapproval rippled through the gathered onlookers as they exchanged nervous looks.

"Now Commander no one is suggesting such extreme methods..."

"Don't fucking lie to me, don't you fucking dare!" I jabbed a finger at the stunned bureaucrats as I continued at full rant. "That is exactly what you're implying." the turian let out a snort of contempt as he heard the remark.

"So much for your vaunted dedication agent." commented Sparatus snidely as he fixed me with a cold stare, it really wasn't the smartest move the alien had ever done and it quickly came back to bite him, hard.

"My dedication?" I took a step forward. "My dedication!" the holograms flickered. "How many people do you think I've killed on your orders, how many more will have to die?" the councilors attempted to interrupted me but I wasn't having any of it. "Don't you open your fucking mouths; it's my turn to talk. I even killed one of the few people in this whole blasted universe that I actually consider a friend all for the sake of the mission and you bastards have the nerve to stand there and question my dedication!" the room fell silent as the council hastily spluttered out some meaningless political bull shit that I couldn't bring myself to listen to. "Enough!" the mindless chatterer died away as I turned to leave the room. "I don't want to have to go through this farce again, so unless you have vital intelligence on Saren or his whereabouts do not contact me, are we clear? Joker, lose this channel." the spectral figures didn't have time to answer as I cut the com-link with a snap of my fingers.

* * *

><p>"How far out are we from the Citadel?" the poor pilot didn't even have time to turn around before he found himself coming under harsh scrutiny.<p>

"We're still a good five hours out Commander." stammered the surprised Flight Lieutenant as he almost levitated out of his padded chair.

"Contact me in three hours." came my disinterested reply as I stomped off back along the command deck, I didn't even get half way before I started to catch snippets of whispering gossip that were floating through the surrounding air.

"Did you see the Commander just now; I could have sworn that I smelled alcohol on he walked by; he's in a right state." but I didn't care and with every swig of the small bottle in my back pocket I cared even less, an decision which didn't go unnoticed by several members of the crew.

"Really Commander, drinking is never the answer." chided Doctor Chakwas as she caught sight of me emptying the last traces of liquor into my mouth.

"Drinking is always the answer doctor. Just not always the right one." I muttered evenly as I glanced over at the slumped form in the corner of the room. "Has Doctor T'soni talked to you at all since we came back?" the gray haired practitioner shook her head sadly as she gazed over towards the sleeping figure.

"She was understandably distraught when you bought her mother aboard so I gave the young lady a mild sedative and let her sleep in here."

"Thank you Karin, I won't forget this." the woman gave a slight snort.

"I would have done it anyway Commander."

"I know you would have doc, I know you would have" I whispered as I made my way towards the back room, that little, tiny room, which for the shortest of times had been transformed into mausoleum for the dead.

"Do you want some help Shepard?" enquired the specialist softly as she watched me fill a small bowl with water from a nearby tap.

"I'm fine thank you" to her credit didn't ask again and for that I was deeply grateful, this was something I needed to do alone.

* * *

><p>"Shepard." I hadn't even heard the door open, so it came as a complete surprise as Liara quietly appeared just behind my right shoulder.<p>

"Are you sure you want to be here Doctor?" the woman sat down next to me as I returned a cloth to a nearby bowl.

"She was my mother Commander, I owe her this much" I nodded in silent understanding as I passed a spare hand towel to the trembling figure.

"Take your time Liara, I can wait." the young asari smiled weakly in thanks as she tentatively began cleaning the dry blood from Benezia's limbs.

"It's strange, when I was young her hands always look so strong, but now they look so small and so weak." tears hot and heavy began running in glittering streams down the doctors face as she returned the gory fabric back to the bowl.

"I'm taking your mother's body back to the Citadel, from there you can make the necessary arrangements to send her to Thessia." the moment stood still, a singular second, drawn out for what felt like a life time.

"I appreciate it Shepard." whispered the woman as the uncomfortable silence came to an end.

"She would have done the same for me." there was a long pause as the young asari seemed to make up her mind about something.

"You and my mother were extremely close, weren't you Commander." it wasn't really question.

"Yes we were, why do you ask?" but she continued on without really listening.

"More than friends?"

"We're we intimate if that's what you mean" the conversation was becoming more and more uncomfortable with every passing minuet.

"Was she happy?" the question took my breath away as I found myself stumbling to respond.

"I don't know, she used to smile and laugh a lot during the time we spent together, so I hope she was happy, I know I was." I whispered sadly.

"I think she was Shepard, at the end she was truly glad to see you, that speaks more about the two of you then you can possibly imagine." it wasn't much but for once I didn't feel so bad about having the good doctor here at my side.

* * *

><p>"We're twenty minutes out from the Citadel Commander, better get ready" Jokers voice echoed out of the speakers as I sent a message from my internal heads up display.<p>

"We'll have someone to meet us at the docks; they'll take your mothers remains to the nearest morgue, go along with them, take your time." Liara nodded quietly in understanding as moments later I found myself trudging towards the airlock.

"Hey Tali you busy?" the teenager's flustered response trundled out over the line as I entered the elevator.

"Er just a tad Shepard, engineer Adams and I are down in the sub-level doing some much needed checks on the Normandy's backup systems, it might take some time." I let out a regretful sigh as I remember her telling me about this a few days ago in the mess hall, in all the confusion it had totally slipped from my mind.

"I'm going ashore, do you need anything?" there was a slight pause as I got the unmistakable feeling that I heard the sound of something heavy hitting the floor in the background.

"Er, no we're all fine down here." I raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"That wasn't something expensive hitting the ground just now was it?" there was a noticeably long pause before the teenage quarian spluttered a hasty response.

"No of course not. It must be your imagination."

"Right" I didn't really believe it but I wasn't going to push the issue. "I'll pick you up some dextro donuts or something on my way back from Synthetic Insights"

"Is something wrong, do you need me to have a look at your prosthetics?" I caught the notes of concern in her voice and mentally chided myself for making her worry about someone like me.

"I'm fine, it's just a general check-up, and with everything that we've been through the company has been rather adamant that my augmentations are routinely checked." Tali let out a relieved sigh as she heard this.

"That's a relief and yes donuts would be appreciated thanks." the line went dead and I found myself for the first time in a long time totally lost for words.

* * *

><p>"You've been drinking again I see." commented Cedric coolly as he watched me stroll into the R&amp;D lab.<p>

"What was your first clue?" I snorted in disinterest as I took a swig from the hip flask.

"Well besides the obvious, I would have to say a close second is the fact that I can smell your breath through my air filter." I gave the man the finger while proceeding to pull a newly acquired pack of cigarettes out from a coat pocket, much to my colleges disgusted.

"Keelah, don't smoke in here you'll set the fire alarms off." muttered the male quarian as he throw a crumbled printout at me.

"It's an R&D lab, unless I decide to light a chair on fire we're fine." the man gave me a disapproving look.

"All right fine, don't smoke in here because I bloody hate it and those things will kill you." but the remark didn't really cut much water with me as I stuck the business end of the device into a nearby burners blazing mouth.

"We all have to die of something" I stated evenly as the choking smoke stung the back of my throat. "Live with it."

"You can be a complete ass when you drink you know that?" muttered Cedric coldly as he watched me strip off down to my waist with professional scrutiny, well that was right up until the point that my bear chest homed into view. "By the homeworld." my entire upper body was blended mass of bruises of many shapes and sizes, making me look more like a patched up punching bag than a person.

"It sucks to be so popular." I chucked weakly as I took another swig of whatever was inside the stainless steel container.

"I assume that your ships doctor gave you something for the pain?" I pulled a small bottle of whiskey out for the other man to see. "And you're chasing it with alcohol why?" I shrugged in response.

"It was the closest thing on hand." the quarian ran a hand over his helmeted face as he heard.

"Well that's just great." muttered the tech expert as he brought his omni-tool to bear. "I'll remember to tell the medics that when you pass out."

"Who are you, my mother?" I countered.

"Just shut up and stay still." muttered Cedric as he began scanning the verse metallic parts of my anatomy. "Or do you want this to take longer?" I didn't have a response to that so I contented myself with taking a second lungful of nicotine. "Keelah, she really did a number on you didn't she?" whispered my friend as his entire display began flashing with warning signs. "You've got hairline fractures all over the place."

"Well you know Bez always did prefer it rough." I whispered as the painful memories began to surface once more.

"It wasn't your fault Todd, it really wasn't." gently stated the researcher as he placed a gloved hand on my shoulder.

"I ran her through Cedric, if I'm not the one at fault then who is?"

"Saren." firmly replied the quarian as he fixed me with a serious stare. "Saren is the one at fault"

"And he will pay for it." I snarled before dropping back into depressed gloom. "As will I" fortunately for everyone there came a distinctive ringing from a nearby terminal as an all too familiar call sign flashed across the screen.

"Ah that'll be the boss; he said that he wanted to have a word with you when I talked to him yesterday."

"This is going to be fun." I muttered unhappily and it wasn't as the glaring face of my superiors clearly indicated.

"Have you been drinking again?" barked the CEO as he rounded on me.

"Sir?" I spluttered as the figure angrily jabbed a cigar into his mouth.

"Because that the only rational explanation for you action towards the Council!" I ran a hand over my tired face as the man continued my verbal dressing down. "I got a video call for councilor Tevos at one o'clock in the morning telling me one of my top agents was cracking under the stress of his assignment."

"Just a minute..." but my denial was stopped in its tracks by Mr. Coyle as he raised a single digit to silence me.

"I know you're not losing it son, but for Christ's sake threatening the Citadel Council, what were you thinking?" I held my tongue as the figure let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm getting too old for this shit." grumbled the man as he glanced over at Cedric. "How's he doing Cedric?"

The researcher grimaced slightly at the question.

"It depends on your definition of "ok" Sir" stated the individual as he brought up a holographic display of my body. "Agent Andrews prosthetics suffered some damage during the last operation but nothing to serious, I should be able to get everything fixed up by the end of the day."

"Good, do a general services and then contact me again, I need to talk to the councilors individually and try to smooth things over." our superior turned to look at me one more time.

"Until further notice I want you on your best behavior, in fact given the nature of the last few weeks I think you're owed some shore leave." Mr. Coyle glanced over towards Cedric once again. "Give him a week off Mr. Dolan, I'll take care of the paperwork. And you!" he jabbed a finger in my general direction. "I don't want to hear a peep out of you for a whole week, am I clear?"

"Crystal sir." I muttered

"Good." the line went dead.

"Well that went worse than I feared but better than I hoped." Stated Cedric as he caught the expression playing across my face.

"Shut up Cedric."

...

"Alenko pick up, that's an order!" my voice barked over the com-link as I stormed out of the branch office.

"What's the matter Commander?" frantically enquired the lieutenant as the reply came thundering down the line.

"How many crew members do we have ashore?" there was a quick pause as the man presumably shouted the order throughout the length of the command deck.

"Twelve people are not aboard, including the gunnery chief and Garrus." I let out a quiet curse made my way towards a nearby elevator.

"Do you want me send out a recall order Commander?" added the subordinate as the glass doors pulled shut behind me.

"No there's no need for that, just keep me up to date on the crew roster an contact me when the members of the ground team return"

"Roger that Sir, Normandy out."

"I'm getting too old for this" I muttered quietly as I brought up a floor map in my optical display. "At least they can't stop me from drinking." it felt like a there long time until Alenko sent me a status update, which was rather unfortunate considering that I'd been in Flux for most of the afternoon drinking my way through their entire collection of whiskey, a decision that I was quickly regretting in no small part to the suited figure that was glaring at me angrily from across the bar. "Yo." in hindsight it probably wasn't the best chose of words.

"Don't 'yo' me!" snapped the teenager as she came storming over. "Do you have any idea how worried I was when I got the call from Mr. Dolan, I thought that something terrible had happened, but no here you are drinking yourself under the table you stupid bosh'tet!" I allowed the comment to wash over me as I took a deep sip of my drink.

"Last time I checked there wasn't any law saying I couldn't get drunk on shore leave."

"But you're not on shore leave." countered Tail sharply.

"As of four hours ago I am." I coolly replied, rather understandably this was met with a look of disbelieving skepticism.

"You, on vacation," I grimaced ever so slightly at the words. "seriously?"

"Seriously, now will you stop yelling?" I don't think the teenager quiet knew how to handle this information, but as long as she wasn't shouting alien obscenities at me I didn't mind.

"So what's the plan now?" enquired the teenager as she looked around uncertainly.

"Well I was going to have another drink, care you join me?" it took my colleague a noticeably long time to make up her mind.

"Alright, but just the one." stated the figure as she dropped onto the stool next to me.

"What do you want a fruit juice or something?" I meant it with all sincerity, though extremely quickly I got the distinct impression that it wasn't received as such by the way that the young woman buffed out her chest unhappy.

"I'm not a child Commander, I can drink alcohol if I want!" snapped Tali as she glared at me through her visor.

"I made no insinuation of such, this isn't a contest and you don't have to prove anything to me" I let a small smile slip across my face. "You've already earned my respect" the teenager let out a tiny squeak from next to me as she heard this. "But if you want something with more of a mature taste then I think we can give it a shot" I glanced over towards the volus that was keeping bar. "Hay Doran got any quarian liquor back there?" the stumpy individual looked up from a bag of mixed nuts.

"Unfortunately no, it's rather...expensive and I haven't found...a new supplier in quite...a while"

"Well do you have anything like quarian alcohol then?"

"I have a cocktail recipe invented...by a quarian" replied the barkeep as he began pulling a bewildering array of bottles out from under the counter. "Will that do?"

"That will do fine, thank you" spluttered the woman nervously as she began fidgeting with her hands.

"I knew a guy a few years back...one of your lot...I believe that he was...on a "pilgrimage" or something...he'd come up with the recipe after visiting...Palaven." as he said this the stumpy individual continued to pour what looked like the contents of several bottles into a nearby blender.

"Er this isn't going to kill me is it?" uncertainly enquired the teenager as she court site of yet another unidentified liquid being poured into the almost phosphorescent mixture.

"I have no idea." I replied "should be fun to watch though"

"You're not helping." snapped Tali sharply as she shore the evil grin plastered all over my features.

"Never meant to." but the friendly banter quickly died away as we both watched as the barman carefully made his way over towards us with said drink in question.

"Is it supposed to be frothing like that?" spluttered the woman as she gingerly reached out to take it, only to be brought to a halt by my hand grabbing tightly around her elbow.

"Are you sure you want to do this Tali?" I glanced at the steaming concoction. "All joking aside this could end up with you needing to go to hospital, are you sure?"

"Isn't that why you're here Shepard, in case it all goes wrong?" I grimaced as I heard this.

"Thanks for reminding me." I pulled a straw out from its plastic wrapping. "Remember small sips, take your time and try not to pass out"

"It can't be that strong." chuckled the teenager nervously as she slipped the drinking utensil into her helmets mouth piece.

"Don't bet on it" I stated uncertainly as I watched the girl take a tentative taste of the potent brew, it was subtle at first like a raising summer tide but before longer it came hammering down hard, sending a shuddering wave thundering through the female figure.

"Keelah I think I've gone blind." whispered Tali hoarsely as she waved a hand in front of her face. "And I can't feel my tongue." I couldn't help but let a small snort slip from between my lips as I watched my colleague crumble up over the counter top. "What's so funny?" slurred the girl.

"You're drunk." I replied smugly as I downed another glass of whisky. "And only after two sips"

"Smug bosh'tet"

"That I am" we broke into snorting laughter as soon as I said this.

"It's nice to see you smile again." giggled the quarian drunkenly.

"I didn't realize that I'd ever stopped." I remembered slurring.

"You did, ever since we went to Zhu's Hope you stopped smiling." A quiet silence descended on the conversation after that.

"Do you know what the worst thing in the world is?"

"What?" spluttered the confused companion as her pickled brain desperately attempted to restart itself.

"I said do you know what the worst thing in the world is?"

"Too take another life?" I smiled sadly at the reply.

"Doing the right thing for the wrong reasons." the alcohol stung the back of my throat as I paused for half a second.

"I don't understand." whispered the girl as she glanced at me hesitantly. "What do you mean wrong reasons?" I let out a frustrated sigh as I ran a hand across my face.

"Why do you think we're on this mission?" I watched as she thought the question over.

"Because we have to save the galaxy?"

"And that would be the answer of nearly everyone on board the Normandy." I took a deep breath. "Except for me." the bottle rang empty as I let it drop back down onto the counter.

"I'm not here because I want to save the galaxy, or to avenge the death of my friend; I'm not even here to follow orders," the room had fallen totally silent. "I'm here because I'm getting paid; it's as simple as that." Tali shook her head in denial.

"I don't believe that for a moment" stated the woman forcefully. "You're a good person Shepard, I know it"

"I wish I could have your optimism." I replied calmly "But in my experience only the good ones die and I intend to live for a long, long time."

"Then I'll just prove you wrong." sleepily whispered the quarian as she slowly passed out on my shoulder.

"Heh. Good luck with that." I softly muttered.

...

The alarm flashed loud on my heads up display, forcing me to sit up, groaning all the while.

"Why did I leave that thing on?" but any further grumbling were quickly brought to a stumbling halt as the mother of all migraines came sauntering of the hill. "I really got to stop drinking so much." I whispered softly as made a beeline towards the sick bay, only to be meet by the glaring features of Doctor Chakwas.

"Enjoying yourself I hope?" coolly demanded the physician as she fixed me with an ice steer.

"I did right up until I walked in here" I replied as I found my attention being drawn towards the seemly sleeping form in the corner of the room. "She ok?" Chakwas snapped here gaze away from me for the briefest of moments.

"She's extremely hung over, I've given her a sedative and advised the young lady to get some rest; unlike you, she follows a doctors advice." the gray haired woman let out a disapproving huff as she returned to her desk. "How much did you give her to drink exactly?" I ran a hand over my face.

"One glass."

"What, really, what the hell was in it?" enquired the stunned specialist as she raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"I don't know, but it was literally glowing" Chakwas grimaced understandingly.

"That was probably a bad sign." she added.

"Yes, I thought so as well" unfortunately the conversation was brought to a rather violent end as the lingering pain in my temple flashed.

"Migraine?" I forced an uncomfortable smile.

"Wow, with that kind of deductive reasoning you could be a detective." the good doctor shook her head disapprovingly.

"There are other ways to spend your free time you know." chastised the woman evenly.

"And when I find one that works better I'll let you know." I replied as she handed me several blue pills. "Regular strength?"

"Regular strength." stated the physician as I downed the pain medication like tick tacks. "I would advise you getting some rest but we both know that won't happen"

"I wouldn't bet money on that doc" came my reply as I made my way back towards my ever so tempting bed; unfortunately the opportunity was crushed flat as the overhead speakers blared out an all too familiar tone.

"Commander you've got a priority call from Admiral Hackett, I've sent it to your private terminal."

"You're doing this on purpose aren't you Joker?" I muttered bitterly as I stomped off towards my quarters.

"I love you too Commander." chucked the pilot as he hung up on his end.

"I really hate that man sometimes." but my angry grumbling was sharply dropped as the unmistakable outline of the Admiral flashed across the waiting screen.

"Commander."

"Haven't you heard sir I'm on shore leave." I replied sarcastically, the man fixed me with a knowing look.

"When you're on the Alliances' payroll you don't get the luxury of breaks." stated the old soldier. "We both know that." I snorted disinterestedly as I glanced at the figure on the over side of the screen.

"I take it that this isn't a social call."

"A situation has developed that requires your personal attention."

"When doesn't it?" I countered. "Look Admiral I'd love to help but can't you just deploy the N7? I have a lot on my plate already."

"It's about Akuze."

...

"Get this ship moving!" the order reverberated down the length of the ship as I came storming out onto the command deck.

"Commander?" stammered the surprised Pressly as he tore his attention away from the glowing control panel.

""You heard the order executive officer, Get. This. Ship. Moving."

"But it's not possible sir, we still have crew ashore and Citadel air traffic control hasn't authorized us to depart." stated the gray haired man uneasily as I thundered passed him.

"You've got fifteen minutes, if they're not on board we leave them, and if we don't get authorization we leave anyway. Am I clear Mr. Pressly?"

"Crystal sir." spluttered the officer as he saluted. I had to give him credit, he composed himself rather quickly.

"Then get to it!" the man throw up a near textbook salute before barking out a ear shattering series of instructions.

"Joker!" the helmsman almost levitated out of his seat in surprise. "Plot a course for the planet Ontarom in the Newton system, I'm uploading the coordinates now." the pilot raised a skeptical eye brow.

"Like to tell me why?" he asked in an obviously irritated tone.

"Because I'm telling you to." was my forceful response as I lowered myself until I was mere millimeters away from his face. "Good enough for you flight lieutenant?" there was an unmistakable edge to the question which didn't go unnoticed by the unfortunate individual in front of me.

"Just dandy." spluttered the subordinate as he quickly brought up the nav map "No problems whatsoever"

"Good" I didn't even bother to glance back over my shoulder as I stomped back down towards the crew deck. "Now hear this, all crew prepare for immediate departure, I repeat prepare for immediate departure!" moments later I caught site of maybe half a dozen alliance personal coming sprinting up the winding staircases in a multitude of disheveled states as my order echoed out over the ships inter-com.

"Commander what in heaven's name is going on?" Doctors Chakwas's voice snapped my attention back to reality as I heard her voice over my ear piece.

"I need Tali up and in engineering asap doctor, can you manage that?" there was a long pause before she answered.

"I can give her an extremely mild stimulant, which will counter the sedative and help her to wake up, but I want it on record that I do not approve of this decision"

"Duly noted." I replied as I marched towards the cargo bay elevator, the descant as ever was tedious beyond belief and I was deeply grateful when it eventually creaked open.

"I take it something is going on judging by the look on your face Shepard." chuckled Wrex as he looked up from the workbench as he heard the door open.

"Get your gear together; I want you and the rest of the ground team ready to go as soon as I say the word" the mercenary nodded in silent knowledge. "Make sure that everyone knows" I didn't bother to continue the conversation as there came a persistent ping from my omni-tool. "Looks like Pressly's fifteen minutes are up." I pressed a finger to my ear piece.

"Executive Officer." I said, opening a com line to my second in command.

"Sir?"

"How many people are we missing?" there was there slightest of pauses before the unseen speaker responded.

"Six couldn't make it back before we departed."

"Get them to report to the embassy, they can wait there until we get back." I ordered.

"Sir I strongly disagree with this course of action." countered the second in command as I turned back towards the elevator.

"I am giving you a direct order." I bellowed as I heard the doors clamp shut behind me.

"Understood Commander."

* * *

><p><strong>Once again thank you for reading this work, hope you enjoyed it.<strong>

**please let me know what you think.**

**Sincerely Gods-own.  
><strong>


	22. Chapter 22: This Hollow Shell

**Sorry for the long wait folks my health has been bad of late and I've been finding it hard to keep up writing.**

**A big shout out to mt proof reader, thank you for helping me keeping this story going.**

**Please let me know what you think of the work.**

**Gods-own.**

Chapter 22: This Hollow Shell.

"Exiting FTL on my mark in three...two...one, mark." There was a subtle shift as the Normandy slipped back into normal space. "We're clear of the mass relay, ETA to target twenty minutes and counting." Jokers' voice echoed out over the speakers as I pulled my trench coat over my shoulders.

"I want every member of the ground team to get ready, we're going in" I coldly stated over the inter-com as I stepped out of my cabin. "Vakarian, what's the sit-rep on the mako?"

"She's ready to go, just give the word Commander." replied the turian as I made a bee line for the elevator.

"Garrus you're riding shotgun, Williams you've got stick, no arguing: everyone else mount up I'll be there shortly" there was a cascade of confirmations as I heard the lift doors pull shut.

"What exactly is going on Sir?" enquired Alenko as I counted down the wasted seconds. "I don't mean to sound out of turn, but everyone including myself would like to know why we left so suddenly?" but the question went unanswered as I turned to glare coldly at the subordinate.

"Get in the mako lieutenant." there was no further debate after that as the man hastily clambered into the back of the waiting APC. "Joker prep for drop on the target facility!"

"Roger that commander, everyone hang on this one is going to be rough." the whole ship began to shake as we slipped into a deep decent.

"Everyone belt up we're going in hard." I barked as I made my way into the now cramped compartment. "Williams, how are we looking on systems?"

"Green across the board; waiting on your command." the door let out a hiss as the sealed tight around its edges.

"Drop in sixty seconds." came the pilots focused tone as I felt the sudden sharp tug of G-force on my body as we began to ascend vertically into a steep climb.

"You better know what you're doing Shepard." muttered the mercenary as braced himself against the metal hull behind his seat.

"Stop whining Wrex you're getting paid" I retorted dismissively as the sound of cargo bay doors opening filled the air. "So just shut up and follow orders just like everyone else." the krogan let out a low growl which I duly ignored as the vehicle rumbled into life.

"Go in twenty!" shouted joker over the on-board speakers.

"Grab what's important ladies, this is going to be one hell of a ride." chuckled Williams as she revved the engine eagerly.

"Go in ten!"

"I don't like it when she says that." murmured Liara as she glanced over towards me apprehensively.

"Go, go, go!" the helmsman didn't need to say it twice as the APC thundered out of the front of the Normandy as it reached the top of its arch; the sudden silence didn't last as the mako fell like a rock back towards the planet's surface.

"We are at one hundred and twenty mph and increasing!" stated Garrus over the intercom as we plummeted ever downwards. "It would probably be a really good idea to deploy the retro-thrusters any time now Commander." added the C-sec officer as I glanced over at a nearby display.

"Wait for my signal."

"Commander?" the Gunnery Chiefs worried response went unanswered as I kept my vision locked on the ever spinning altimeter in front of me.

"Wait for it." five miles out, four miles out, the distance spun past in a withering blur as we screeched towards the intended target.

"Any time now Skipper!" shouted the woman as she fought with the shuddering craft.

"Four thousand meters!" bellowed Vakarian as we hurtled through a thick patch of cloud.

"Just a little more." the rest of the team exchanged worried glances as the Mako violently jerk to one side.

"Stop playing around Shepard!" snarled Wrex forcefully as he court site of the warning lights flashing all around the compartment "Or do you want to die before we get the job done?"

"Three thousand!"

"Hold"

"Commander!"

"Hold!"

"Two thousand!" yelled the co-pilot as I felt a three fingered hand grab hold of my shoulder.

"Please." whispered Tali.

"One thousand!" I slammed a finger into the command console next to my head.

"Deploying thrusters." the whole compartment shook as we defied the gravity of the planet.

"One ten, one five, one hundred mph" shouted Williams over the sound of the engine as it groaned in protest.

"Eight hundred meters out, we'll never stop in time." muttered Garrus from in-between gritted teeth as he braced himself for the impact.

"Eighty five mph."

"Have a little faith." I whispered as I allowed my head to rest against the side of the makos hull. "We'll make it."

"I hope you're right Shepard" retorted the unhappy officer. "I'll be damned if I die at twenty three."

"With your face Vakarian, I wouldn't worry about it" I snorted dismissively as yet another warning light began flashing on my head up display. "Besides we've already dropped below fifty mph."

"Well tell that to the ground skipper because it's coming up really fast!" shouted the driver as the mass effect core was pushed well beyond its threshold as I watched the altimeter drop into double digits.

"Brace for impact!" my order came not a second too late as our twenty-something ton APC met the ground with bone shattering force before bouncing like a stone to a halt on the uneven terrain.

"One of these days Shepard." muttered the krogan unhappily as he checked himself for injuries and retrieved his shotgun from the floor.

"I think I'm going to hurl." Tali said as she lent forward in her seat.

"Please don't." I politely ordered as I gently pushed her back upright.

"Wasn't planning on it if I could help it." replied the quarian moodily as she gave me a annoyed glare. "Besides whose fault do you think this is?" I let out a disinterested snort as I heard this.

"You're alive aren't you, what's the problem?" the remark didn't go down to well with the woman in question but I quickly sidestep the issue as I switched on the front compartments video link. "Report." Williams slightly pale features greeted me over the over end of the line as she turned her attention towards the monitor.

"Everything seems to be working skipper, but for future reference can we try to land more calmly next time?"

"Duly noted, but as long as your under my command I expect you to follow my orders without issue, am I clear?" it wasn't really a question and everyone knew it, hence the uncomfortable atmosphere that quickly descended upon that rather cramped APC.

"Crystal Commander." Quietly muttered the gunnery chief as I download a data packet into the vehicles built in sat-nav.

"There's a small complex at these coordinates, get us there now and in one piece or I'm leavening both of you on this lump of rock when this is all over."

"By the spirits what did I do!" countered the C-sec officer angrily as the lumbering behemoth rumbled to life once more.

"Less chatter from the front!" the order couldn't have come sooner as something crashed like thunder across the Mako's front plating.

"Now it gets fun." chucked Wrex as he adjusted his grip on his shotgun as Williams began throwing the vehicle from one side to the other as more large caliber rounds began to slam down all around them.

"What the hell are they hitting us with?" demanded the lieutenant franticly as he held on for dear life as the designated driver pitched the APC down off the lofty plateau and into the green valley below.

"Judging from the impacts I'd say some kind of anti-material rifle, probably a pair of M-23 Widows from the sound of it." came my disinterested retort as I slowly check over the heavy duty pistol that lay sleeping in my lap.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" the statement drew a disbelieving snort from me as I turned to look at the marine.

"Hell no, you should be pissing yourself right about now, this things a personnel carrier not a frontline tank. We're lucky the plating has held out this long." the point was only reinforced by a tearing screech as something cut its way through the faulting shielding and bit deep into the outer layers of armour.

"Damn it Vakarian I can't keep dodging all day, do something!" snapped Williams as I heard the unmistakable frustration starting to creep into the woman's voice.

"I would if you hold the stupid vehicle still for two seconds" growled the turian coldly as he let fly with the main cannon. "We're jumping around so much I can barely line up a shot on their defences."

"Well sorry your highness, but I don't exactly feel like being filled full of rather large holes." replied the driver dismissively.

"Enough!" my voice slammed down into the quickly degenerating debate. "We've wasted too much time already" I slowly pushed my sunglasses back into place as the order echoed around the narrow chamber. "I want this finished and finished now!"

"So we're charging then." chucked the Krogen as he fix me with a knowing look. "This should be fun"

"I can't believe I'm about to do this." muttered the female soldier as she quickly turned the Mako around to face the fortified compound.

"If it helps neither do I" added Garrus unhappily as he tore his attention away from the control panel.

"Floor it Ash." I roared as my usually limited patience totally disappeared, the command didn't need to be stated twice as the engine let loose with a shuddering crescendo.

"Let's do this!" came the battle cry as we surged forward towards the waiting defenders; in all honesty it took the mercenaries a good twenty seconds before they managed to react, which in all honesty was a lot long then I'd thought it would be.

"They've got barricades." shouted Vakarian as multiple small arms fire began raining down all-around as we bore down on the quickly approach fortification.

"Break through them." I quietly commanded.

"But"

"**Break**.**Through. Them**_._" I heard the silent sigh that echoed out from the front compartment.

"I don't get paid enough for this." grumbled the unhappy co-pilot

"Tell me about it" stated his unseen associate.

"I can leave you both behind if you prefer." the threat went unanswered as I calmly pulled myself upright.

"Er Commander what are you do..?" but the lieutenants question disappeared in the howling wind as the rear hatch snapped open with unexpected force as I slammed a hand into the emergence release.

"What the hell is going on back there!" bellowed Williams over the intercom as I steadily lent out the back of the speeding Mako .

"Take care of the outer defenses, I'll meet you inside the complex" and with that I let go without so much as a forethought; the last thing I heard though was Tali frantically as I vanished from view.

* * *

><p><em>The night before:<em>

_"Explain" the admiral fixed me with a steady gaze._

_"Shepard"_

_"Explain!" that got a reaction as an almost invisible frown appeared on the individuals brow._

_"Watch your tone Commander, you respect the rank, not the man, am I clear?"_

_"Crystal. My apologies Admiral." the man's features soften ever so slightly as he caught the tension in my voice._

_"I can understand how you feel commander, I knew a lot of people in the eight, some of the soldiers that went down to Akuze with you were under my command. Some of my best." a sad look spread across the admiral's face. "They didn't deserve to die like that."_

_"You're preaching to the converted Sir." I bluntly stated as I fixed the man with cold stare "Still doesn't explain why we're talking about it now." Hackett removed his hat and ran a hand through his retreating hairline._

_"Over the last sixty two hours there have been a number of systematic attacks on retired members of the alliances R&D department, all of them lethal and all using excessive force." commented the ghostly figure as he dragged a long list of names onto the screen. " The only thing that any of the victims had in common was a single data reference in their collective history"_

_"Akuze." I whispered._

_"Indeed" added my superior as he fixed me with a knowing look. "From what we've been able to ascertain for a period of around three months all the individuals in question were stationed on the planet for an unspecified reason."_

_"You think they had something to do with the massacre don't you?" the question hung heavy in my mouth as I felt an old anger, quiet and cold blaze back into life as the revelation hit home._

_"The dates line up." coldly added the admiral as he allowed a grim expression to play across his features._

_"And now you think someone's cleaning house." I growled._

_"That would be my guess, but I'll defer to your expertise in this matter Commander, after all this is more your area than mine." I thought the question over._

_"If they are purging the operation we'll need to get to any surviving members of the team as fast as possible."_

_"We do have one name, a doctor Wayne formally of MIT, currently residing on the planet Ontarom in the Newton system." explained Hackett as he lent back in his chair. "I need you to get to the target before the enemy does and extract him." he fixed me with a cold stare. "I want him alive Shepard, I want him alive and unharmed, are we clear?"_

_"Completely Sir." I spat as I terminated the link._

* * *

><p>The hitman fell screaming as I lopped off a leg with a casual swing of an arm blade, sending a thick spray of bright crimson spilling out over the surrounding landscape.<p>

"Where is the target, where his he!" I roared as I slammed a booted foot down onto the ruined limb. "Tell me!"

"He's in the central bunker." spluttered the wreathing figure as his life blood seeped out all around him. "But you won't get there in time, our boss wants him dead"

"He's in luck then, because so do I." I muttered as I discharged my hand cannon into the man's contorted face.

"Commander, do you copy?" Alenko's frantic call came down the com-link with frustrating clarity.

"What is it Lieutenant, I'm rather busy here." I calmly countered as I wiped some of the unfortunate fool's brain matter from the barrel of my gun.

"And we're not?" shouted the unhappy officer over the line as I caught the unmistakable sound of rifle fire snapping past the man's head every few seconds. "We could really use some help here Sir." I let out a grumbling sigh as I stuck my head out around a corner just in time to see the would-be sniper take another potshot at the unseen members of my team.

"I've got eyes on the sharpshooter, wait for my signal and then make a break for the central bunker"

"Understood Commander." but the focused reply was lost on me as I quickly pulled a grenade from my belt; the detonation was rather impressive to say the least as it sent a fireball ten meters high into the air as it cooked off the defenders own explosives.

"Even Alenko shouldn't be able to miss that" I whispered as I quickly made a beeline towards the squat building at the heart of the complex; surprisingly the doorway had barely pulled shut when I found myself confronted by the breathless shambles of my ground team as they tumbled in through the now open portal behind me.

"Nice to see that you could join me Miss Zorah" the comment rather understandably wasn't particularly well-received by the female figure as she rather rudely gestured at me with an unoccupied hand.

"Stupid bosh'tet" spluttered Tali angrily as I set off down the narrow corridor at a steady pace.

"Really charming Tali, really charming" I countered evenly as the rest of the group stumbled after me. "But for future reference I do actually know what that particular hand gesture actually means." I could have sworn that the woman's mask turned a deep shade of violet as she spluttered out an almost incomprehensible series of sentences as I step through into the next room; which in hindsight really wasn't the brightest thing I've ever done as almost straight away I locked eyes with the rather livid looking krogan who was standing in the centre of the open space.

"And here I thought this job was going to be boring like the rest" snarled the towering wall of muscle as he flexed his shoulders expectantly.

"Well I do hate to disappoint!" Came my flippant response has I began hammering away with my side arm, unfortunately however his friends had other ideas as several other mercenary came storming into the room weapons blazing.

"Ha now it gets fun!" bellowed Wrex happily as he tore the shotgun from his back.

"Stay focused!" I snapped coldly as I plastered the back of someone's head all over a nearby wall with a well-placed shot. "These guys are just a distraction"

"Well what's the plan then?" asked Garrus evenly as he laid down some much need covering fire while I made my way over towards him.

"You and Tali flank right, cut them off from their exit; the rest of us will push forward and crush them." I glanced over towards the lumbering mercenary at the other end of the room.

"Think you can take the big guy Wrex?" the grizzled veteran let out a disbelieving snort as he rose to his full height.

"He barely looks older than two hundred so I've got about four centuries of experience on him." spat the krogan as he let out a gut shaking roar that reverberated throughout the room.

"Bring it old man!" came the thundering retort as the opponent came hurtling out of cover.

"With pleasure runt! Snarled the battlemaster as he slammed a biotically amped fist into the unprotected face of his would-be challenger. "I've been itching for a fight all day!"

"Push forward" I ordered forcefully. "Don't let them regroup."

"On it Commander" barked William as she darted to a new fire point, the remaining mercenaries didn't let the act go unanswered as they began pelting her position with rounds.

"Liara!"

"I'm on it" shouted the doctor as she unleashed a surging wave of power that lifted the struggling enemy off the ground and left them dangling in midair; it wasn't a nice end, nor pleasant but I carried out the next few moments with calm professionalism as I systematically executed each flailing figure until the room fell silent once more.

"Wrex you still breathing?"

"Still breathing." chuckled the grizzled veteran as I saw him wiping the blood from his face. "And without so much as a scratch, kids today just aren't raised right." he added, a note of disappointment in his voice.

"Stay focused." I snapped as the rest of the team quickly fell back in behind me as I made a beeline towards the waiting access hatch. "I need the target alive, so no fuck ups!" and there it was, emotion, I could hear it seeping out from every syllable and for half a second I found myself consumed with self-doubt as a lifetime of training screamed at me from the back of my mind, you're getting too close it said, slow down and think it said, but I couldn't I wouldn't, this hatred was like a cancer, creeping through my system and for better or for worse I was going to see it through.

"Shepard?" the voice dragged back into reality with a thud as I felt a three fingered hand gently come to rest on my shoulder "Shepard are you ok?"

"I fine Tali, just lost in thought" I replied as I caught the clear concern that was playing across her eyes. "Really Tali, I'm fine." the rest of the conversation was cut short as a terrified scream suddenly came thundering out from the over side of the doorway.

"We've got to go now Commander!" stated Vakarian frantically as he slammed in an override protocol into the locking mechanism.

"No shooting under any circumstances, I want everyone alive!" came the command as I lead the charge into the adjacent space.

Life, life is a strange thing, it can go by in the blink of an eye or drag on for what feels like eternity, but in that place, in that space I could have sworn I felt myself slipping back in time as I stare at the man before me.

"Stay back, I've got no grief with you, all I want is this bastard!" stated the would-be assassin as he levelled the pistol at the trembling scientist.

"Not going to happen buddy!" Responded the gunnery chief coldly as she lined up a kill shot on the target; a target I knew from so there long ago.

"Stand down Williams" the Marine glanced at me in mild confusion as she heard the command.

"Sir?"

"Stand. Down!" there was real venom in my voice as I repeated the demand, a sharp, bitter threat that didn't go unnoticed by all who heard it.

"Yes sir." whispered the woman as she took a step back in fear; this rather understandably didn't go down so well with the hostage who looked at us in tearful desperation.

"God please he's..."

"**YOU DON'T GET TO SPEAK TODAY****!**" I roared as I pointed a damning finger at the terrified man before me. "**NOW SHUT THE FUCK UP**!" the room silent as I turned my attention back towards the stunned assailant as he fixed me with a speechless stare.

"Shepard?" stated the man weakly as realization finally dawned on him.

"I thought you were dead Toombs." I quietly whispered as I allowed my sidearm to slip effortlessly back into its holster.

"Shepard?" I glanced around to find the rest of my ground team staring at me with justifiable concern.

"Sir?" Whispered Alenko.

"It's ok lieutenant he's an old friend." I turned back towards the man, who by now was standing rather uncertainly in the centre of the room. "Let me introduce you, this is Corporal Franklin Toombs, eighth fleet marines, we served together." I fixed my old comrade with a questioning glance before continuing. "I thought you were dead Frank, the Alliance listed you as KIA on Akuze, where the hell have you been?"

"Why don't you ask him!" snarled the soldier as he slammed the butt of his gun into the side of the man's face, sending warm blood splattering across the hard floor. "After that thing devastated our unit I woke up in a blasted holding cell!" he jammed the barrel of the gun into the side of the doctor head. "All the while having to listen to these sick fucks prance around congratulating each other on the successfulness of their pet project!" Toombs pulled the helmet from its rest to reveal a horrible patchwork quilt of scar tissue that had once been the right side of his face. "All our friends, the sarge, the lieutenant, they killed them all just so they could watch the effectiveness of a thresher maw in close combat!" The soldier jabbed an irritate finger at the wound. "I spent the next three years as their fucking lab rat, as they poked and prodded me like some god damn lump of meat, injecting thresher acid into my veins to see how living tissue reacted." the man fell silent as he looked at the prisoner before him. "But I managed to escape." he whispered "And every day since I've been waiting for this moment, waiting to avenge our brothers and sisters in arms."

"And they will be" I muttered coldly as I took a step towards the unstable figure. "But not by you" A frantic look appeared in the man's eyes as realization struck home.

"No, no, I won't let you!" bellowed the marine as he spun the weapon to face me. "This is my task and mine alone!"

"Do you think you're the only one that's suffered Frank!" I yelled as I almost tore the coat from my shoulders in angrier "Look at me!" I could feel with piecing stares fix on me as my prosthetics were laid bare for the entire world to see. "I'm a good damn living freak, more machine than man!" the room fell silent as I walked towards the trembling soul. "There isn't a single day that goes by that I don't wish that I'd died back there with my men, but there's nothing that I can do about it!" I placed a cold hand on his arm "Until now" I could feel thoughts and feelings long forgotten coming surging to the surface once more "I won't, I can't lose another friend; so please brother, let me save you" the world slowed and time died as tears, hot and heavy began to run in never ending streams down the man's face as his weapon clattered to the floor.

"I, I tried." spluttered the veteran as I gently rapped a metal limb around his quivering shoulder in a reassuring gesture.

"I know brother I now" I quickly glanced over towards a certain young quarian, who at that exact moment was looking even more anxious if that was at all possible. "Come on I'll introduce you to a friend of mine." Toombs let out weak chuckle as he heard the statement.

"You actually have friends Shep, I must have been gone longer than I thought"

"Nice to see your humor hasn't changed at least." I countered irritably as I beckoned the fretting female to my side. "Frank, this is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, she's my tech expert."

"Hey!" I jabbed a finger at the source of the outburst.

"When you can do half as good a job as her Garrus then I'll consider you an expert!"

"Favoritism" jokingly shouted the turian as I turned back to the prior engagement.

"As I was saying before being so rudely interrupted, Tali this is Corporal Frank Toombs, his an old friend of mine" the engineer held out a gloved hand in an attempt to use human greetings.

"Pleased to meet you" stammered the teenager as I allowed a small smile to slip across my lips.

"She's a bit shy" I chuckled.

"The keepers always are" added Toombs as he took the offered appendage and shook it vigorously. "Nice to meet you miss" he quickly glanced over towards me with an impish grin.

"So she's your 'friend' huh" I raised a skeptical eyebrow at the comment.

"And your point is?" I enquired rather coldly.

"Ow nothing, I just remembered you having a thing for women in latex suits thats all" I could have sworn that Talis eyes nearly popped out through her faceplate as she court the comment.

"And there's your lovely sense of humor that I missed so much." I muttered as the man nearly keeled over from laughing. "That's something I could have done without" as I quickly dragged the stunned Tali back into reality with a snap of my fingers. "Miss Zorah!"

"Yes Commander?" spluttered the teenager as she quickly fixed her attention back to the task at hand, though I couldn't help but notice that she couldn't quite meet my gaze every time she looked at me.

"Can you take Frank back to the mako, he needs medical attention and I would rather have someone I trust accompany him." that got her attention as she allowed the words wash over her.

"I won't fail Shepard." Replied the quarian resolutely as she fixed me with an unwavering stare. "You can count on me." I couldn't help but smile softly as I heard the comment.

"That was never in doubt Tali, not even for a moment." the purple visor seemed to turn a deeper shade of violet if that was at all possible.

"Smooth Shep, really smooth" snorted the veteran as he stepped past the pair. "You don't have to worry about me ma'am, I can look after myself just fine. Ow, except for that. Ow, and that." I silent glared a silent message at the subordinate who nodded in quiet acknowledgement.

"Well don't think of it as me escorting you then." stated the female figure calmly as fell in to step next to. "Think of it as an opportunity to further embarrass the Commander, I'm sure you know all kinds of juicy tales from when you two served together. And don't call me ma'am."

"I like your way you think ma'am." grinned the man as that mischievous smile returned to the for.

"Ugh. I'm going to regret this." I grumbled as the two new friends vanished from view. "Everyone else do a sweep of the facility as your falling back towards the APC."

"What are you going to do with the prisoner agent?" firmly enquired Wrex as glared down at the trembling scientist as the rest of the team trundled out of the room

"What do you think I'm going to do?" I coldly replied as I began to clear my mind for the coming task ahead of me.

"I'll make sure you're not disturbed." rumbled the mercenary as he quickly stepped through the doorway. "Take your time Shepard, you've earned this moment, don't waste it."

"I wasn't planning to" I quietly retorted as the portal pulled shut behind me.

"You can't do this!" spluttered doctor Wayne as he desperately attempted to distance himself from his inevitable fate as I slowly bore down upon him.

"I'll apologies in advance doctor as it seems that I'm not as skilful in this matter as you are." I leaned down until I was at eye level with the doomed soul. "But don't worry I'll enjoy it all the same." the man's screams would stay with me for the rest of my life, of that I was certain, but at that moment, at that place I didn't care, because in the end it felt good to get the anger out of my system.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you liked the story, please read and review, it means a lot to me.<br>**

**Hope you liked the story.**

**Gods-own.**


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